


Silent Tears

by lin_the_bae_fong



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Jazz AU, Suvira - Freeform, mostly - Freeform, post-prison kuvira
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 04:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5077150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lin_the_bae_fong/pseuds/lin_the_bae_fong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Kuvira's release from prison, she finds herself looking for a job and home. After stumbling upon a jazz club in a small, prosperous town, she is hired as the clubs new singer. Struggling with her feelings of guilt and leftover love for Suyin, she tries to find a place she can belong. Rated T for violence and language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Tears

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since the series finale. If you'd like to listen to the song's mentioned, listen to the playlist. (youtube): playlist?list=PLUerE28fL3DpWiLQ3YCKgNndtOrFnwprm

It had taken 6 months after her imprisonment for Kuvira to convince Lin to give her a radio. She missed dancing to a beat that wasn’t in her own head. She missed humming stories that went along with the horns and piano of the bluesy jazz. Did she deserve this radio? _No. I do not._ Kuvira answered the question in her head. _I don’t deserve this wooden cage that has become my home. I don’t deserve the breaths I’m taking._ It was dangerous thinking, but Kuvira felt it true. She did not deserve these things, but they had become a privilege all the same, and she would accept them into her life. As a certain tune played out, she remembered it from her time in Zaofu, when she was 19, no, maybe 20? She tried to remember why the song resonated so harshly within her. It was slow, sweet, almost loving. _Love._ It clicked in her head where she’d heard it before, and despite the guilt that came with it, a small nostalgic smile graced her chapped lips. 

_Su pressed her lips lightly to the corner of the younger woman’s mouth. Kuvira’s hand gave the Matriarch’s cheek a smooth caress as the warmth of the summer evening blanketed over them. It was a tender moment. The sweet euphoria in each other’s chest could only be described as love. Su lay in Kuvira’s arms on the small couch pushed against the wall in the older woman’s study. The small radio on the table hummed with that same sweet, gentle song._

_“Su…do you like this song?” Kuvira had asked while playing with the woman’s graying hair._

_“I do. It’s catchy.” She had replied before a small yawn escaped her lips. Kuvira chuckled softly at the action. Su’s eyes closed to savor the moments. She felt deep vibrations coming from the guard’s chest and realized Kuvira had begun to hum a melody that intermingled almost flawlessly with the jazz. Su had dozed off and shortly after, Kuvira’s lids fell like lead into a simple, somber sleep._

Kuvira lay in bed staring at the wooden grating that was the roof of her suspended cell, and she began to hum that same melody, a few bittersweet tears streaking past her cheeks. 

4 years later, Kuvira had gone from humming melodies to singing lyrics she wrote in her ever present free time. She knew full well that the guards could’ve told her to quiet down years ago, but they never had. It gave her the slightest boost of confidence. Also in this time she had a gained a not unfriendly relationship with the guards. They’d bring her food, they’d chat as she ate, she’d ask how their families were, they’d ask about her songs, then they’d take back the tray and dishes until her next meal. 

Not only that, but Avatar Korra came by weekly with a Pai Sho board to play a few rounds as they talked. The water tribe woman had become an inspiration to Kuvira. She wished to be like her, so powerful and confident and strong, but also sincere and caring. It took Kuvira back to her secret nights and weekends with Suyin. Those were the only places where she could find those feelings. 

Kuvira stared in awe at the pai sho board in front of them. For the first time in all of her visits, the Avatar had not only beaten her, but absolutely destroyed her. 

“Where did this come from?” She eyed Korra with suspicion. The tan woman simply gave a lopsided grin. 

“My wife gave me some intensive lessons this entire week. I can’t say her motives were pure but they worked.” _Her wife…_ Kuvira thought to herself with a sigh. She had killed Korra’s would be father-in-law in cold blood, while drunk on a power she couldn’t even control. 

“She wants to come visit you, I think. Asami, I mean. She still has a hard time understanding why I put so much faith in you, and I think she feels like if she talks to you, she’d be able to see if I’m completely off my rocker or not.” Korra’s voice was somber, and Kuvira realized how this must look to her Engineer wife. The person she love’s, visiting the person who tried to kill her, her wife, last airbenders, …children. 

“You visiting me has put a strain on your relationship.” It wasn’t stated like a question. 

“It has, but the reason I told you this is because she’s coming with me next week. It was either that or I don’t come at all, and we couldn’t have that. I want to kick your ass at Pai Sho again.” Korra’s humour returned with that snarky grin. Kuvira let out a low chuckle. 

“You caught me off guard. I was going easy. However next week, I look forward to playing against a true Pai Sho master.” Is what Kuvira said.  
But it was a lie, and she was terrified to face the successful engineering genius. 

During that week, Kuvira had rehearsed herself of all the Pai Sho strategies she knew, from the most basic to the most intense. When she’d felt satisfied she’d remembered most of them, she had turned on her radio and sung her lyrics. She lay in bed with her eyes closed and arms behind her head. The music washed over her skin like that basking warmth she associated with Zaofu. With Su. 

“I didn’t know you could sing _and_ dance. You could be one of those show girls.” Kuvira eyes shot open as she was startled to sit up. Korra was outside the cage, hand interlaced with the paler, slimmer one of Asami Sato. Kuvira followed the pale hand, up her black clothed arm, finally resting on her face. She expected there to be nothing but pure hatred in those emerald green eyes, but to her surprise they were soft. 

“I usually only sing when I’m alo- well. As alone as I can be.” Kuvira explained as she went to the back of her cage and placed her hands on the wood while a guard granted Korra and Asami access inside. It closed behind them, and Kuvira slowly turned back around to face the couple. 

“You look like shit.” Of all the words they were expecting to come out of Asami’s mouth, those were most definitely not them. 

“Asami, what the hell?!” Korra was about to go off on a tangent. 

“Anyone would look like shit next to you Mrs. Sato,” Kuvira crossed her arms and Korra raised her eyebrow in both concern and confusion, “however I know my health and appearance have…dwindled a bit, in these past four years. ” Asami for the most part kept a neutral expression, but there was a small hint of surprise laced under those painted eyes and lips. 

Asami sat on the floor of the cage suddenly, pulled a Pai Sho board out of her bag, _where the hell did she fit that thing?_ , and began setting up the pieces. 

“Sit.” Kuvira and Korra both sat. 

“You killed my father.” Kuvira winced at the bluntness of the woman’s sharp words, but kept an honest face. 

“I did. In cold blood, and words cannot begin to express how sorry I am. In my attempt to mother an orphaned country, I created more orphans.” Asami’s grip on one of the pieces tightened, but slowly relaxed, and for a moment, there was a painful silence. 

“Make the first move.” Kuvira did as told and moved a piece in a set up for one of the more basic strategies. As she waited for the engineer to make the next move, she could see the expressions changing on her face, as if she was contemplating everything but the game in front of her. 

“Why don’t we set aside the game for a moment? Four years may feel like enough time for a wound to heal, but a wound caused by the loss of loved ones will fester until it kills you. You can tell me what is on your mind, and I will listen. I will answer any question not with justification but with honesty. I don’t want to be the reason there is a strain on your relationship with Korra, but… I also feel like Korra is helping me find myself again. The person I was in Zaofu. She’s helping me become a better person. I will never ask for your forgiveness, but I can try to gain your trust.” Kuvira saw the taller woman hang onto her every word, analyze every influx of her voice, before taking a deep breath. The whole time Korra sat off to the side and watched as the events folded out in front of her. 

And Asami unleashed. She never raised her voice, but it cracked from raw emotion. Her anguish, her sadness, her loss. She wiped tears from her face before they could fall. 

And Asami’s emotional rant ended. A few deep breaths and she was once again the composed woman who entered the cage to face a monster. 

They continued their game in silence. It lasted hours, and Kuvira wondered how the guards hadn’t kicked them out yet. She then remembered just who was sitting in her cell with her and shook off the thought.  
The guards wouldn’t bother with the most intimidating power couple in the world. 

By the end of the game, Asami and Kuvira had been able to make small talk. It wasn’t a budding friendship or anything even close to that and a lot of it was questions about Kuvira’s motives and state of mind, but it was a start for Kuvira to become the better person she wanted to be. 

“I do have one more question.” Asami stated as she packed up the game board and pieces. 

“I swore to answer truthfully, what do you want to know?” 

“Out of all the weapons you could have built, what in the hell possessed you to make a giant Mecha?” Her question left the former Dictator dumbfounded. She had no idea, and apparently that resounded on Kuvira’s face. Korra’s laughter echoed through prison. 

7 yrs into Kuvira’s sentence, she had started to sing more than dance. The injuries she’d sustained during her battle in Republic City left shadows of pain when she tried to dance extensively, so she’d taken to writing her own songs, not just a verse or two. With words flowing harmoniously in metaphorical struggles of her experiences, her pain and joy and success and failure. She knew all too well that while she was getting better, finding happiness in the small things, she was going to have that remaining depression. She had talked to Korra and Asami (Kuvira and the engineer had grown closer over the years, but it was still tense, Asami sometimes lashing out and leaving immediately after) about her experiences as a child. How she was abandoned and how Su took her in, but not really, not as her child. While it hurt, it didn’t hurt as bad as it used to. Her voice rarely cracked anymore when she talked about how alone and isolated she felt. 

“I think Asami would know how you feel more than I do, honestly,” Korra said after taking a sip of tea, “I didn’t see my parents very often in the compound, but… I knew they would always be waiting for me.” Asami had squirmed awkwardly in her seat at being put on the spot, and Kuvira noticed. 

“You don’t have to talk about it if you wish, Asami.” Kuvira said as she gave the woman an understanding expression. 

“It’s ok. I’ve come to terms with my loss, and if it will help your rehabilitation, I’m willing to share. If you were the woman who killed my father I’d be more reluctant but… I want to believe she doesn’t exist anymore. You do not have my forgiveness; you’ve hurt me in a way you can never fix, but you have my trust.” The smallest but kindest of smiles graced Asami’s lips. It was such a tiny thing. A few measly words that Kuvira had not expected to impact her so much. Words that made her heart soar. 

To the absolute shock of everybody, including herself, Kuvira launched herself at the woman and embraced her tightly. She couldn’t control the sobs hiccupping out of her throat and the repeated _I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I never wanted things to get that bad I’m so sorry_ and once knocked out of her shock, Asami hesitantly returned the embrace _Shhh. You’ll be ok._ Asami had repeated quietly to the inconsolable woman. Korra had also joined them on the ground, rubbing Kuvira’s back in gentle circles. She had gained some of her muscle back since the first few years of her imprisonment, but she could still feel her spine protruding just a bit more than it healthily should be. 

It took 20 minutes for Kuvira to pry herself away from the engineer. With a bit of hindsight bias, Kuvira realized her neutral façade was due to snap anytime now. She’d been increasingly more emotionally distraught and regretful in the past few weeks. Asami’s words had only kicked the last support of the rotting dam that had held her remorse away. 

As the couple left to leave, Asami and Kuvira having confided in the struggles of their childhood together as Korra smiled and listened, a last set of hugs and kind words were exchanged. Asami set her hand lightly on the prisoners shoulder. 

“In 3 years you will be a free woman. You are a new woman, one who has grown and matured so much. I know you will find real happiness.” Kuvira smiled at her words and gently laid her hand over Asami’s. 

“You and Korra have showed me true kindness and compassion. I am more free and happy now than I ever have.” 

Kuvira had in the early years of her imprisonment come to terms with the _real_ circumstances of her feelings with Baatar Jr. It was simple and she was ashamed of it. 

_If I couldn’t have the Beifong I wanted, I’ll go to the next best thing,_ could have been her only logic, she realized. It was cruel to herself and to Bataar Jr. Well. The alternative wasn’t exactly fair to Bataar Sr. either. _Your relationship with Bataar is only proof of your cowardice, Su. You two haven’t been happy with each other in over 15 years._ Kuvira sighed deeply. _I ruined everything…_ Kuvira furrowed her brows in slight realization. _…She didn’t exactly help de-escalate the situation either._

Kuvira’s thoughts were interrupted. 

“You’ve got a visitor.” She looked at the guard with uncertainty. Korra and Asami were only here a day or so ago, so who…? 

She visible shrunk to the back corner of her cell when Opal Beifong came into view, furious. The guard let her into the cell and closed it behind her before stalking off to some corner. 

“I don’t know who to be pissed at right now, you or my mother.” Kuvira watched the slight hesitance when the airbender sat. She had her Master tattoos now. Her hair hadn’t changed much, maybe lost a bit of its adolescent shine, but what Kuvira was interested the most was the ever so slight bump of the girl- no, woman’s belly. _I’ll ask after…whatever she needs._

“I’m afraid you’ll have to elaborate, Opal. There are many things for you to be angry at the both of us about.” 

“The affair.” The younger woman seethed out between her teeth. 

Kuvira let out a small, “oh,” and sighed. 

“Look, it’s not that simple. Ask me whatever you like, and I’ll answer with honesty.” 

“Why did you destroy our family?!” The younger cried. 

“Because I was selfish and damaged, and I needed comfort. Your mother gave me that comfort. I didn’t want things to put a strain on your family but it did. I was selfish.” She spoke calmly and evenly, but inside was turmoil of emotion mirroring Opal’s. She was having a hard time looking her in those hard emerald eyes. Her avoidance caused her to notice how the girl twisted the ring on her finger. A white, shimmering stone centered in the middle. When the light hit just right, it refracted colors of the rainbow. _Opal…she’s still with Bolin. Only that goof would be cheesy enough to give her a wedding ring with the gem she was named after._ A small chuckle escaped her lips. 

“What’s so funny?” She demanded harshly. 

“I’m happy you’re still with Bolin. Only a man-child like him would get someone a ring with a gem they were named after.” She let out a blissful sigh and smiled. “I assume that is his, as well.” She pointed to Opal’s belly. 

The kindness and playfulness of Kuvira’s demeanor threw Opal off. It was like she was a totally different person. What was more concerning was that the emotions the woman was giving off just felt so…genuine. 

Opal didn’t like it. 

“You almost killed me and my family.” 

“I tried to justify my actions by saying I gave them a choice when I didn’t. As for throwing them in prison, in my defense, Su tried to kill me in my sleep. It doesn’t make what I did right, of course, but she wasn’t in the right either. Not a day has gone by in these 7 years that I don’t regret every decision in my life that ended in mindless violence.” She took a deep breath. She only spoke the truth. “I’m not that person anymore. I never want to be that person again, but I will acknowledge that The Great Uniter was me, and I will learn from her, from my mistakes. I won’t ask you to forgive me, I could never ask you that, but I will ask you to try and believe me.” 

She wanted to take back her last words as soon as she said them by the look on Opal’s face. _I’m not used to handling people who still hate me anymore. Korra and Asami are really too kind._

“Why in the HELL should I believe you?” She stood up slowly and Kuvira felt something she had not felt over another human in a very long time. Fear. Kuvira held back a yelp as Opal grabbed her by the collar and lifted her to her feet. 

“B-because 10 years of holding this hate and darkness in your heart isn’t healthy for you. Or that child.” Kuvira was finding it hard to breath but not because of the woman’s hold on her collar. A distant memory with a similar sensation was sending her into a panic attack. 

“P-lease p-put me down…” Opal let go instantly when she saw the fear on Kuvira’s face. The older woman dropped to sit on her mattress, hand clutching the fabric at her chest while her breaths came out in short gasps, whimpering, her eyes focusing on something far off and distant. Opal recognized it as a panic attack. She vaguely remembered the adopted child having them a lot as after coming into her home. She hesitantly sat next to Kuvira, causing her to flinch. 

“Sit with your head between your knees. Try to take deep breaths…” _I guess I forgot how human she was._ Opal sighed as Kuvira attempted to get her breathing under control. _She’s right, though… I need to move on._ Opal lightly put her hand on Kuvira’s back and rubbed gently. After a few minutes, she managed to get control of her breathing, but she just felt drained. Sensing this, Opal got up to leave, but Kuvira ever so gently grasped her wrist to stop her. 

“You’re mother and father had a deal,” Kuvira rasped out, “they see whoever they want, do whatever, as long as you and your siblings didn’t know, and it didn’t affect the family severely. Her and I…we-“ She sniffled, wiping a tear, “I loved her.” Opal could feel the anger boiling in her belly again, but not at Kuvira. She needed to have a talk with her mother. 

“You’ve really changed haven’t you?” The younger woman asked softly. Kuvira was looking at the ground of her wooden cage, but she nodded her head lightly as she released the other woman’s wrist. They stayed in silence for a beat or two before Kuvira spoke again, just audible for Opal to hear. 

“Have you thought of a name?” Her eyes flicked up to the slight baby bump again. 

“Toph, if it’s a girl.” Kuvira’s head snapped up so fast Opal thought it might break. 

“Sifu Toph…passed away?” Kuvira always held a great amount of respect for the woman. 

“2 years ago.” The somberness of Opal’s voice kept the anger out of Kuvira’s system. _Why didn’t anyone tell me…_ but then she remembered she’d only seen the same 2 people in the last 8 years. _They probably didn’t feel it necessary to tell me._

”Mom and Dad divorced shortly after. All of my brothers had moved on with their lives anyway so they figured that it was a good time to split. It was clean at least. They’re still good friends, and we still spend holidays and birthdays together. Actually, I think the only thing that’s different is that they don’t sleep in the same room. Now Dad sleeps in a different wing. ” Kuvira’s head was spinning. She actually did it. She only stayed as long as she did for her children… Kuvira suddenly felt guilty for her earlier opinion of the woman. She held her head in her hands while her elbows rested on her thighs. She needed to change the subject. 

“and if it’s a boy?” 

“Bolin wants to name him Bolin Jr., but I’m near begging for him not too. I don’t want to repeat Bataar Jr. and dad.” There was the slightest lilt of humor dancing in her voice. Kuvira chuckled softly. 

“Naming children after yourself does kinda set your kid up to living in your shadow.” 

They chatted for about ½ an hour before Opal had to go home. She gave a simple wave and goodbye as the guard escorted her out. Meanwhile, Kuvira sat on her bed with her little pad of paper and a pencil. She wrote more lyrics, ones of sorrow. A yearning in heart made tears prick at her eyes. For the first time in a while, she felt claustrophobic, depressed, and so dreadfully lonely. 

Somewhere in the darkest, deepest, most hidden crevices of her heart, even after everything that happened, she missed the love that she and Su shared. She missed the soft kisses, the gentle caresses, the caring way they held each other…the quietly exchanged “I love you’s.” 

The fact that she would never, ever feel it again was enough to make her regret her choices for a thousand lifetimes over again. 

She cried herself to sleep that night for the first time in very, very long time. 

For the first time in 9 and ½ years, Kuvira had felt earth beneath her feet without being in chains. She’d walked out barefoot, wanting to dig her toes into the dirt and grass. She doesn’t know how long she’d been standing there, just quietly digging her feet into the element she missed so much, before the person next to her spoke up. 

“I want you to know that over the years, through our visits, I’ve come to consider you one of my best friends.” A brown and calloused hand rested itself upon Kuvira’s shoulder. She covered it softly with her own. 

“Thank you. You can’t begin to understand how much that means to me and I feel the same,” she looked at the taller engineer, “about both of you. Thank you for convincing everyone for an early release, even if it was only 6 months.” Asami smiled at the woman’s words and nodded politely, albeit a little stiff. 

“Where will you go now?” Asami asked hesitantly. 

“Honestly, I just want to live out the rest of my life in peace. Find a small town somewhere, get a normal job and just relax.” She sighed after emphasizing the last word. She brushed a hand through her hair. _Someday, maybe, I’ll go back to see Suyin._ She shook the thought away as quickly as it came. 

“We understand. Do what makes you happy and please stay in touch. If you ever need anything, we are a phone call away.” Asami said, smiling. Korra nudged her wife in the ribs. 

“Oh yeah, this is for you.” Asami dropped a medium sized duffel bag onto Kuvira’s shoulder, earning a grunt from the shorter recipient. _Holy shit this is heavy._

“There are a few changes of clothes, underclothing, a med kit, sewing kit, a hefty amount of Yuans, some rations, a water skin from the Southern Water Tribe, uh…oh! And a notebook and some pencils for when you want to write your music and what not.” Korra explained sheepishly. Kuvira smiled at them. A real, honest and full smile. 

“Thank you so much. I don’t know where I’d be without you guys, but…Korra can I speak to Asami…alone for a moment?” The hesitation in her voice was evident. Korra nodded slightly before Kuvira lightly pulled Asami away from her wife. 

“What is it, Kuvira?” The engineer asked, caution in her voice. 

“I-I want…I just,” she huffed and pulled a small seal with her Great Uniter symbol on it from her pocket, “I need you to take this. Years ago, you told me that you felt The Great Uniter doesn’t exist anymore,” she took Asami’s hand and placed the seal in her palm, “but you’re wrong. I am still that woman. I am still…I am still the woman that killed your father.” Asami paled. “I have grown, I have learned compassion, I have gotten help, but I will never tell myself I am no longer that woman, because that implies that I was not responsible for the pain and suffering of so many others. I don’t want you to forget that either.” Kuvira was trying to wipe her tears away but she couldn’t stop them. She jerked lightly as a calloused thumb wiped a tear from her cheek before landing on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. 

She led her back to Korra, slipping the seal into her pocket. 

“It’s been an honor, Kuvira. Be well.” Korra and Asami bowed deeply before returning to their airship. 

Watching the ship ascend she let out a quiet, “You, too.” 

It took Kuvira 3 days to find a decent sized but rural town. She couldn’t remember crossing through it as the Great Uniter, so she felt it safe to be able to explore without being too easily recognized. The first thing she did was find an inn and pay for a few nights. When Korra had said a hefty amount of Yuans, she hadn’t expected hefty to translate into a small fortune. Once she had settled into her room, she unpacked a clean pair of clothes, a forest green pair of baggy pants, a sleeveless tunic in a lighter value of green, a brown belt and a long sleeved brown undershirt. She laid them out on the bed before walking into the bathroom and peeling off her current clothing. She kicked off her black knee high boots, shimmying out of her pants, and lifting her shirt over her head. She stood in her undergarments in front of the mirror. Her muscle tone for the most part was back but nowhere near what it used to be. Scars littered her body from her battles with Korra, and her cheekbones had become a little more prominent. Her jaw and had filled out just the slightest bit, and there was the smallest trace of a wrinkle or two at her eyes. Her hair had been what time was the least kind to, however. A few dark shades of gray streaked the messy tresses that had grown thickly down to her slim waist. _36 years old and I look like I’m closer to 50._

With a sigh she turned on the shower and kicked off the remaining bits of her clothes before stepping under the hot water. 

The feeling was damn near orgasmic. 

As she rubbed the soap through her hair in a desperate attempt to make it more kempt, she quietly sung one of the many songs she wrote in her cell. It was one of the very, very few songs that she didn’t write from her own experiences. She wrote it about Korra and Asami, actually. One day, Asami had come without Korra, since she had to do her ‘Avatar duties.’ Asami talked about how much she missed her wife and how lonely she was, but she wasn’t sad. Never sad. She said it all with a voice full of love and adoration. It was infectious. 

__Stars shining bright above you,  
Night breezes seem to whisper, “I love you.”  
Birds singin’ in the sycamore tree,  
Dream a little dream of me… 

Kuvira stretched before turning off the shower and stepping out for a towel. She still hummed her song and wrapped the soft fabric around her torso. For all intents and purposes, the only word she could think of to define how she was feeling was ‘bliss.’ 

Kuvira dried herself off before pulling her change of clothes on. They were so soft and flowy and nice compared to her starchy prison clothes. She stretched and practiced some of her bending forms when she detected a chunk of metal in the bag Asami gave her. She pulled it to herself and examined it. It was a metal cuff the length of her forearm. A note was taped to the underside, from Asami. 

_Just in case you need to protect yourself. Please use it wisely and preferably as a last resort.  
-Asami Sato _

Kuvira set the cuff on the bed and tackled her hair with a brush, weaving it into a braid after having pulled through all the knots and tangles. Once satisfied with how it looked, she morphed the cuff to fit snugly to her forearm. 

The ex-con went to the bathroom again and stared at the mirror. 

She didn’t recognize herself. She was so far from what she looked like the last time she stood in front of mirror. Armored shoulders, lifted chin, empty eyes, an inflated ego to cover up the crippling depression. Now she looked like a regular villager. Human, less regal and she was ok with that. She brushed her bangs to the side, took one last look in the mirror before exiting the room to explore the town, see if it would be habitable for her. 

The town, although it was small and locked by forests of the Earth Kingdom, was prosperous and economically sound. A lot of the shops were little family run business, and one in particular caught her eye. It was a blacksmith, a hammer and anvil painted on a sign hanging from a pole stuck in the wall. _I bet, if they aren’t metalbenders, they could use one._ She entered the warm shop and looked at the weapons adorned on the walls. Artistically crafted, each one was different and polished so well she could see her reflection. 

“May I help you?” Kuvira looked towards the direction of the gruff voice. An older woman, easily in her 50s, was wiping ash and grease from her hands. Her demeanor reminded her of Lin. 

“Actually, I was wondering if maybe you had any job openings. I’m new in town. Trying to get a fresh start.” She wrung her hands together nervously. 

“What makes you think you’d be of any use?” The woman asked, leaning against the counter. Kuvira didn’t reply with words, she simply bent the cuff off of her arm and shaped it into a dagger blade, it spiraling slowly above her palm. 

“A metal bender, huh? Hate to be a downer, but most of our weapons are platinum, hand forged. Ever since the metalbending bandits became a problem, any other material became essentially useless for protection.” Kuvira sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. 

“Alright. I should’ve noticed that when I walked in. Thank you for your time.” Kuvira left the store with a wave and stepped back onto the sidewalk. _What am I good at…? I can’t imagine I’d pass the background check to be a cop. I can’t cook. I can’t sew. I probably shouldn’t work retail. Too many people. Too much of a risk…_ She released a shaky breath. _I could use a drink._

She wandered the city until she found a bar. A deep exhale brushed past her lips as she pushed open the doors to the establishment. _Consider it a treat, Kuvira._ Upon walking in however she paused to take in her surroundings. The ex-con had been expecting a sleazy bar full of gruff, greasy men and was surprised to see that it was well furnished, well lit, and well occupied by an array of men and women alike. Tables, surrounded by four or five cushioned chairs, were covered in silky red table cloths, a candle and flowers as a centerpiece on each. In front of the tables was a stage, curtains drawn shut, and a lone microphone stood at the end. 

Behind the tables were a few lone booths for smaller or single parties. Kuvira sat at one closest to the barren bar. A stout man came from behind the counter and made his way to her seat. 

“Can I get you something? I haven’t seen you around here before.” The man had a gravelly voice, like he’d swallowed stones. He was washing a glass as he waited for her to reply. Oh right reply- 

“Um a shot of something strong, but first… what is this place? I was expecting to walk into some dive bar and instead I got this pleasant surprise.” She accentuated with waving an arm towards the stage. The man let out a chuckle before walking back to the bar and filling two shot glasses with something amber colored. Kuvira was about to be pissed for him completely disregarding her question but when he returned and sat across from her, her anger was replaced with confusion. The man pushed a shot towards her and kept the other to himself, slamming it back in skilled practice. _Is he challenging me? Is this a trick… does he know who I am and trying to kill me?_ The thoughts must’ve shown on her face because the man let out that grumbly chuckle again. 

“I’m not trying to poison you if that’s what you’re thinking. I know who you are but I figure if the avatar feels you’re ready to be amongst the public, then you’re ready.” He said it genuinely, a light smile peeking under his beard and mustache. The words hit Kuvira hard. She smiled gently, before lifting the shot in a small cheers and slamming it back. 

She choked. It was like liquid fire. No, it _was_ liquid fire. 

The man laughed as she tried to regain the small dignity she had left by covering her mouth and taking a deep breath. She glared at his laughter, and if looks could kill, she’d have probably popped his head like a balloon. 

But she realized that his laugh was hearty. It wasn’t cruel, like she was used to at the prisons. It was friendly, even if it was at the expense of the lining of her throat. She sighed. 

“Tell me, Mister…” 

“Call me Sheng.” 

“Sheng. You never answered my earlier question.” She pointed accusingly. A habit that she picked up from the Beifong’s, not that she’d ever admit it. He nodded his head in remembrance. 

“Right. This is a jazz club. A band plays every night, and every other night a club favorite singer comes on and woos the crowd with her magnificent voice,” he paused, and his face became sullen, “or at least she did. Tonight’s her last night before she leaves to Republic City to try and make it big.” Kuvira was hanging onto his every word. She wasn’t even aware places like this existed. They must have started popping up while she was prison. 

“Tell ya what, kid. Stay for the show, its starts in an hour. Have a few drinks on me. After she leaves, this place will go downhill and shutdown most likely anyway.” He stood and collected the shot glasses. 

“Sheng,” he paused, “thank you. For your hospitality, I mean. Not many would allow a former dictator into their home, better yet be friendly with one. It means more to me than I think I can express.” She swallowed the small lump forming in her throat. He smiled widely and simply nodded before walking behind the counter. 

About 20 minutes after he left, Sheng returned with a generous glass of wine before getting back to work. 40 minutes later, the lights started to dim slowly as a jazz band starts to set their instruments and do some last minute tuning. Kuvira turned in her seat to get a better view of the stage and as she settled in, the curtains drew and the spotlight fell on one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen, in an equally (if not more so) beautiful dress. Matte midnight blue draped lusciously from her bust to her ankles, folds in all of the right places, and lace sleeves like a second skin on her arms. To say Kuvira was entranced would be an understatement. Suddenly the band started up, playing a slow tune with lots of bluesy trumpet and when the woman reached for the microphone, she sung. 

Kuvira was now hypnotized. The woman’s voice was light, and airy. She sung of love and joy, it brought a kindness to her face. Kuvira couldn’t keep her eyes off her, even as she walked across the stage to sing to the men sitting nearby. The singer’s eyes scanned the crowd but when her eyes hit Kuvira, the singers smile dropped and she quickly moved onto the next patron of the bar. Kuvira was snapped out of her trance then and turned away to return to her wine. For a second, she had forgotten who she was. Forgotten her sins. She wasn’t allowed to forget, but she was allowed to move on. She sighed and sipped at the red alcohol, licking it from her lips, when suddenly a thought struck her. 

_How far could I move on if I was on the stage?_

She looked back at the singer, trying to imagine herself on that stage. It’d be like when she was at Zaofu with the dance troop. Performing again… it made her heart swell. She didn’t want to be the same person she was in Zaofu, but that performer was still part of her. Kuvira slammed back the rest of her wine and walked up to Sheng at the bar. 

“Want a refill?” He grabbed the wine from under the table and started to pour her a new glass. 

“I’ll do it.” He stopped. His eyebrows cocked in confusion. 

“Pardon?” 

“I’ll be your new singer.” He almost dropped the wine bottle. 

“Sweet Firelad- look, Kuvira…,” He set the bottle down on the bar before folding his arms and leaning on the table top, “wanting to do something and being able to do something are two ver-“ 

“I can do it.” Her voice wavered ever so slightly. _I want to do this. I CAN do this._ Sheng sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Well. It’s not like I have anything to lose. Come by tomorrow morning to show me what you got. If I think you’re any good, I’ll book you a gig. If the patrons think your any good, I’ll book you a career because you’d save my club. Deal?” He held his hand out to her. She grasped it firmly and smiled so wide it hurt her cheeks. 

“You won’t be disappointed.” 

Kuvira realized that Asami had been _very_ generous with her clothing. When she had left the bar and returned to her hotel, she’d pulled out all of her clothes and laid them across the bed. There were several pairs of pants, shorts, an array of different shirts, tunics, and tank-tops, some more formal than others. On top of the many pieces of attire, there were 3 formal dresses. The first was a straight cut deep green strapless silk, with a slit running up her right leg to mid thigh. The next was a halter dress with a light green to dark green vertical gradient. It had a deep “V” that showed _all_ of her cleavage and a bit of her stomach. _Where the hell did Asami think I was going? A gala?_ The “V” was connected by a metal necklace, 5 pentagonal sheets of metal linked together. Kuvira had to admit it was a gorgeous dress. _If I get the job, I’ll wear this on my first day. Dazzle them._ The third dress was black cut off at the breast just above the nipples, but continued by a green patterned lace to her neck. It was like a halter, but also sleeveless. It also looked extremely expensive. 

Kuvira grabbed a pair of black slacks and a green side clasped blouse with black trim. _It’s not an actual performance. Semi-casual is fine._ Putting her chosen outfit on a chair, she pulled out a pair of shorts and tank top to sleep in before refolding and placing her rejected outfits back in the bag. She removed her clothes and replaced them with sleepwear, then sighed and stretched before lying back on the bed. It was so soft it was almost uncomfortable. Well, it was still uncomfortable but for another reason. It was lonely. The bed was obviously meant for two people, there were two nightstands, a table with two chairs. There was only one occupant, however. Kuvira sat up on her elbows and stared at the other side of the bed. That longing she had tried to bury deep in the back of her soul came back in a rushing wave. _Su…I miss you so much._ Her fingers brushed the fabric of the opposite pillow before she lay on her side and pulled it to herself, holding tight, and what had started as a few tears turned into to body wracking sobs. She buried her face in the pillow and her breathing didn’t even out until she had shut her eyes and drifted to sleep. 

Kuvira awoke early the next morning by the sunlight shining through the curtains in a soft light. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she stretched the knots and kinks from her muscles, her body still not used to sleeping on something so comfortable. She bent down to touch her toes in attempt to ease the strain on her back, exhaling as she stood back up with some relief and walked to the bathroom for a shower. _I guess falling out of a 20 story war machine puts a few extra years on your bones._ After she removed her tank top, Kuvira gently traced her fingers over the marred skin covering her ribs where surgeons tore her open to put her back together again. 

_“You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done.” Those words resonated in Kuvira’s heart over and over as they walked out of the once Spirit Wilds. No cars would have made it through the streets, and they had no way of contacting any airships, so Su and Lin elected to walk the relatively short distance to the Republic City Police Headquarters. Or at least, what was left of it. To Kuvira, this was torture, and she could feel the blood slowly seeping into her coat with every agonizing, bone reverberating step. Her breathing was more shallow then comfortable and about halfway through their “walk”, Kuvira was starting to shake. Nausea was close to claiming her insides, and had she eaten that day, it already would have. At some point Lin noticed how pale the younger girl had become, and the stumbles in her steps._

_“Su we need to stop, something’s wrong with her.” Kuvira released a small breath and stopped walking at the chiefs words. The pain was throbbing, and Kuvira was amazed by her own strength considering she hadn’t passed out yet._

_“Whatever is wrong with her can wait until we get to the precinct. Criminals don’t get a break.” Su said coldly and tugged Kuvira forward by her cuffs. The strain of suddenly being pulled forward sent a crippling pain through her ribs and spine. She tried to stop the yelp from escaping her lips but it was too late. Black fog crept into the outskirts of her vision as she struggled to remain conscious. The light from the portal made the cold sweat on her skin gleam._

_“Su, Stop! You of all people lack the right to say criminals don’t get a break. She’s far more injured then we thought. Look at her coat.” Lin nodded her chin to the dark spot growing at an exponential rate on her side. Su let out a light gasp and the sound made Kuvira smile slightly._

_“Please, Su. Don’t act like you care. I can handle it. Let’s just get to the station.” Kuvira tried to sound confident but her words were starting to slur together. A flash of hurt flashed on Su’s face but it was quickly replaced by anger. Kuvira was starting to rely heavily on Lin’s arm holding her own._

_“I say we just leave her ungrateful ass here and let her bleed out.” The Matriarch spat out sharply as she gestured to an alleyway. Kuvira flinched at a hand that came close to grazing her wounds._

_“Su, shut up. How do you think Korra would feel if we just left the person she talked down to surrender here to die?” Lin let go of Kuvira’s arm to get in her sisters face. Kuvira struggled to stay upright with a grunt. “She’d never forgive us. Sure she’s done some terrible shit, but more death doesn’t solve fucking anything so get your ass in gear and let’s get to the goddamn precinct before-”_

_Kuvira fell to the ground as a gargled yelp escaped her lips, coughs racking her body. Blood dropped to the ground from her lips as she clutched at her sides in hopes the pain would subside. It was too much. She could hear Lin and Su saying something but she couldn’t register it. It was like trying to talk to someone on the other side of a roaring waterfall. She suddenly felt so cold, like the time Su and her had visited the Northern Water Tribe on business. She couldn’t stop shaking and suddenly she realized the pain was gone. The feeling was gone. She was going numb. The last thing she could recall before passing out was someone shouting her name, a pair of arms pulling her close and something warm and wet dropping on her face._

_Kuvira awoke 5 days later, connected to various machines to help her breathe. She turned her head to a machine that was beeping in rhythm, and recognized the Future Industries logo. A bittersweet sense of Irony made her choke out a laugh._

_The very man she killed was the reason she was still breathing._

__

__

Kuvira later found out her wounds were far worse than she had thought, ribs protruding from her skin, puncturing her lungs, causing them to flood with blood. No, if Korra hadn’t come in time, she’d have died right there on that street. But waterbender healing can only heal so much. She ran her fingers along the scars again, bringing herself back to the present. She owed Korra more than her life. 

She finished discarding her sleepwear and twisted the knobs of the shower with metalbending before stepping inside. The heat was a blessing she thought she might never get over. Once again, she found herself singing through the acoustics of the small washroom. 

__Almost Blue  
Almost doing things we used to do.  
There’s a girl here and she’s almost you.  
All those things that you promised with your eyes,  
I see in hers too.  
Now your eyes are red from crying.  
Almost Blue… 

Kuvira closed her eyes as she stood still under the stream of water, letting it caress her skin. The song wasn’t a happy one. A night at a gala after rebuilding the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, a woman that looked so familiar but also a stranger. Kuvira sighed, washing her hair in silence while contemplating on songs to use at her “audition.” _Nothing too dark, of course, but not something to cheery either._ She smacked herself in the head 

“Dumbass,” she muttered, “you have to do a cover. The band doesn’t know your songs.” She turns off the water and wraps her towel around her body, walking out of the shower and searching her bag for her lyric-book. In the very back were a series of songs she wrote down that she’d liked from the radio. _Hmmm… I suppose that’ll do._ She took the time to read over the lyrics of the song several times, committing them to memory. Once she felt satisfied, she removed the towel and started to change into her clothes she laid out the night before. She ran the brush through her hair a few times and opted to leave it down. She examined her appearance in the mirror. _I look…nice._ The corner of her lips tugged upwards. She slipped on her metal cuff before walking out to the streets in the direction of the club. 

Once she arrived, she’d found the establishment locked. From what little seismic sense Suyin had taught her however, she could tell there was at least _something_ moving around behind the door. She decided to knock. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

The door opened shortly after, a smiling Sheng on the otherside. 

“Hey there, Missy. Good timing, I just came down a few minutes ago.” He opened the door and pulled her in before shutting and locking it again. Looking up at the stage, she saw that the band was there as well, fiddling with their instruments. 

“You can head on up there whenever you’re ready, just give the band the song and I guarantee they’ll love it. I’ll be in the very back to make sure your voice travels.” He nudged his thumb back and forth as he said each location. Kuvira nodded and headed towards the stage, climbing the short steps before whispering the song title to the band. They all nodded and readied position while she fiddled with the microphone. 

“Test, test.” She nodded to the band and took a deep breath. 

A soft piano played a melody a few moments before she began to sing: 

__There’s a saying old  
Says that love is blind  
Still we’re often told  
Seek and ye shall find  
So I’m going to seek  
A certain lass…  
I’ve had in mind. 

To say Sheng was impressed would be a drastic understatement. There was a rasp to her voice even while she sang, and it added to the emotion of the music. He would let her finish of course…but she was going to save his club. He knew it. 

As the bass and drums picked up he returned to the lyrics of the slow and soothing jazz: 

__There’s a somebody  
I’m longin’ to see  
I hope she turns  
Out to be  
Someone to watch over me. 

__I’m a little lamb  
Who’s lost in the wood  
I know I could  
Always be good  
To one  
Who’ll watch over me 

Kuvira kept singing the lyrics, focusing on Sheng. She couldn’t help but smile at him as he tapped his foot. Being on the stage, lulling this man with her voice, the band playing to her left…there is no place she’d rather be. She felt more at home than she had since Zaofu. As she wrapped up the song, she heard clapping from the rest of the band mates and Sheng. She did a modest bow, laughing lightly as she stepped off the stage and to Sheng. 

“Holy shit, Kid. You got the job. Start tomorrow if possible. You’re gonna make us rich.” They both laughed as he shook her hand with enthusiasm. 

“Do you have any requests for tomorrow night? I’ve written some stuff over the years, but it’ll take a while to work with the band before those are ready.” She was practically buzzing with excitement. 

“Hmmm…Let me think on it. Come by tonight for a drink and I’ll let you know then.” 

“Will do. Thank you so much for this, you have no idea how much this means to me.” She could feel tears threatening to spill. 

“Don’t worry about, kid. Go explore the town, rest up. Treat yourself! I’ll see you tonight, alright?” He patted her back lightly before heading around the bar. She smiled and left the club with a new sense of freedom and even with the adrenalin wearing off, she was still ecstatic. _I gotta tell Korra and Asami._ She practically ran back to the hotel to write a letter to the couple. As soon as she entered the room she rummaged her pack for a pen and tore a paper out of her notebook. Pulling off the cap she began to write: 

_Dear Korra and Asami,_

_It’s been 5 days since my release and already I’ve found a job and a friend. You’d never believe where I’m working. A Jazz club owned by a man named Sheng. He’s a sweet man, and he knows who I am. At first I thought maybe he was trying to poison me with fire whiskey but turns out he trusts me because you trust me, Korra. Anyway, there was a woman in this club, a jazz singer, and spirits she was beautiful, but apparently she was leaving for RC. Sheng was worried with her gone, his business would die. Long story short I forced an audition out of him and now I’m his new jazz singer. I start tomorrow. I’m so excited._

She stopped writing for a moment, a thought occurring to her. 

_I’m also scared. If someone recognizes me, it could be bad…but it’s not like I’m here illegally. The worst thing that could happen, well… I’m willing to take that chance. I haven’t been this happy in so long. Thank you, both of you._

_Sincerely,_

_Kuvira  
P.S: Take care of each other. Write back soon. _

Kuvira capped the pen and folded the letter into thirds. Digging around in her bag, she pulled out a sheet of paper with the title “  People’s Addresses You May or May Not Need But Have Them Anyway.” Clearly, it was written by Korra. The first address on the sheet said “Asami and Korra Sato.” She folded the paper and set it next to the letter, before ruffling about for more casual clothing. Black pants that stopped mid calf with a drawstring and a green tunic were the first things she pulled out. _This’ll do._ She quickly changed before stuffing the address paper in her pocket and holding the letter in her hand. _Time to find a post office._

Finding a post office in this town took a ridiculously long time. Kuvira had nearly given up before _finally_ she found a sign with an envelope on it, “ Post Office” in big, blocky letters. She walked inside and pulled an envelope from a center island full of pens and other various office supplies. Sliding the letter into the envelope, she pulled out the address sheet and copied the address onto the center. She stopped at the return address. _I can’t write my actual name yet…and not to the hotel either._ Kuvira let out a little ‘oh!’ as she wrote “Sheng’s”, followed by the clubs address. _I’m sure he wouldn’t mind._

Kuvira walked up to the counter to purchase a stamp from the postmaster. 

“Just a letter, yeah?” His voice was gruff and impatient. She nodded. 

“One copper.” She pulled a copper out of her coin purse and laid the letter and copper on the tabletop. 

“It’ll be sent out first thing tomorrow.” She bowed politely before turning to leave, but not before she could hear the man murmur something. Something she heard loud and clear. 

“Crazy tyrannical bitch.” Kuvira stopped short. 

“What was that, Postmaster? I didn’t quite hear you.” The look in her eyes said anything but. 

“Nothing worth repeating for you. Get out of my post office.” A small flame burst to life in his hand. She rolled her eyes and left the office. _What a child. Threatening your customers is not a good economic strategy._ She paused _I guess I would know._

The rest of the day had gone considerably well, after the Post Office incident. Kuvira had spent the day exploring housing in the town, hoping to make her stay a bit more permanent than a hotel. She’d found a small cottage not too far from the club, and she’d made a mental note to check it out again after her first paycheck. 

It was sunset, and she was about halfway to the club when two large men stepped in front of her, cocky grins on their faces. She would not stop for the likes of them. 

“My, my. If it isn’t The Great Uniter. You must be pretty brave to be showing your face in this country.” One sneered. 

“I may have made some mistakes, but I did help this country more than anyone else, and you are either brave or stupid to be talking to me like I’m lesser than you,” She retorted before walking past them without a second glance. She could see the club from here, “now if you would kindly leave me be, I need to get to work.” She felt a pressure on her shoulder, one of the men squeezing until it hurt. _Of course this couldn’t be easy. Or could it?_ She bent the smallest sliver of metal from her armband, to a needlepoint, before pricking his finger hard. 

“OW! What the fuck, you bitch?!” He reached for something holstered to his side. 

“HEY. YOU BOYS GIVING HER TROUBLE?!” Kuvira looked away from the vulgar mouthed man to the source of the shouting. She let out a relieved sigh as Sheng jogged into sight. She turned around to see the men’s reactions only to find out they were gone. She bent the needle back into her armband. 

“Don’t worry Sheng, I could’ve handle a couple of brutes.” Kuvira rolled her shoulder. _Strong brutes_. 

“You shouldn’t have to…you did your time. They should leave you alone.” He said, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. She sighed. 

“That’s just not how it works, and you know it. Come on, you shouldn’t leave your club like this.” She turned him around and lightly started pushing him back to the double doors. He laughed heartily, 

“Alright, alright, I can use my own two feet.” He picked up his pace a bit out of the young woman’s grip. She smiled slightly at the older gentleman as she followed him into the club and took her new usual spot in a booth by the bar. 

“Sheng, can you get me something light?” She asked, crossing her legs and full relaxing into the maroon leather. She thought about the object holstered at the brute’s side. 

“Sure thing, sweetheart.” He yelled back before grabbing a bottle out of an ice chest and walking over. “Try this. It’s called ‘apple ale.’ Tastes like apple cider with a kick.” He popped off the cap and handed it to her. She took a swig. It was crisp, a little bubbly, but had both a sweet and tart flavor. The taste of alcohol was vaguely there, not to weak but not overbearing. 

“I actually really like this,” she took another drink, “I love it, actually.” She smiled sincerely at the man and he nodded back as he sat across from her, smiling so wide his eyes were almost shut. She chuckled under her breath at the man. 

“Sheng?” 

“Yeah?” 

“That man, the one who grabbed me, had something on his side. Do you know what that was? I’d never seen it before.” She inquired. Sheng gave her a worried look as he tugged on his gray goatee. 

“It was probably a gun. Varrick Industries started developing them shortly after you were imprisoned. Said it was a way for nonbenders to protect themselves. The bullets, little metal things inside, move so fast I bet not even Toph Beifong could have stopped one. They’re made to kill. I personally don’t like them and I’m a nonbender. Just,” he gripped her hand gently, “if you see one, promise you’ll throw up a rockwall and run. Don’t try to fight. ” 

She looked into his eyes, at the blatant fear and concern, and nodded gently. He released her hand and exhaled in relief. 

A few moments of silence passed, before Sheng cleared his throat and spoke up. 

“So…I’ve been thinking about songs for tomorrow, and I’m stuck between 2. I’d be glad to have your opinion.” He asked softly. 

“I’d be happy to. What have you got for me?” Kuvira took another sip of her ale, tapping her foot as the band started an upbeat tune. 

“Well, I want you to start out with a bang, something that’ll wow the crowd, ya know? So that can go two ways, cheery and loud, or soft and sad. Personally, I think you’re more of a soft and sad girl, but anyway I’m stuck between ‘ Love’s a Losing Game,’ and ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’, I personally enjoy the latter.” He winked and gave a cheesy smile. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily call the second cheery,” Kuvira laughed before looking thoughtfully at her drink. _On one hand, the first will probably show more emotion…but am I ready for that? The second one, I’d have to put up a façade, pretend that all I care about is money._ Kuvira emotionally debated in her head like this for a few seconds before Sheng intervened. 

“Hey, look at me,” Kuvira did as told, “don’t think about it. Which one feels right? Which one will tell the audience what you feel not through the lyrics, but through your voice?” Kuvira stared at him, shocked by the sudden intensity of his voice. She sighed and chuckled. 

“I suppose ‘ Love is a Losing Game’ it is…Sheng, I know you keep telling me it’s no problem, but I really can’t thank you enough for this. I knew I could’ve found my way on my own, but you are making it so, so much more pleasant for me.” The woman hastily rubbed at her eyes, brushing the tears that threatened to fall away. 

“A wise man once said, ‘While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing.’” He smiled toothily. Kuvira struggled to remember where she’d heard that before. 

“General Iroh, right?” She pondered. Sheng nodded enthusiastically and they returned to their comfortable silence. 

“Ya know,” he spoke up abruptly, “you and General Iroh aren’t too different.” Kuvira rose a sculpted eyebrow questioningly. Sheng rolled his eyes. 

“He started out conquering parts of the world in the name of the fire nation. Did some pretty horrible things himself, I’m sure. Some time passed, life knocked some sense into him, and he became a man of peace and equality, and the world forgave him. Give it some time. I’m sure the world will forgive you too.” Sheng’s words struck a chord deep, deep inside her and she could feel the pressurized heat behind her eyes before she could stop it. She covered her eyes with one hand as she began to silently weep, overwhelmed by this kind, old man’s compassion. Sheng stood and scooted in next to her on the booth and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

“Shh. It’s ok, Kid. You’ll be alright. Take a deep breath.” Kuvira did as Sheng said and inhaled slowly through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks as she mumbled an apology. 

“No need to apologize, Kiddo. I know assimilating is hard. Why don’t I get you another ale? After you finish that, you should head home for the night. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow and to get plenty of practice in,” He left with the empty bottle of ale and quickly returned with a new one that Kuvira metal bent the top off, “tomorrow is a big day. You’ll be amazing.” He rubbed her back soothingly as she took a long drink from the cold, glass bottle. 

“Thank you, Sheng. I’ll pick up some noodles on the way home and head back to my hotel after I finish this.” She lightly grasped his arm, “now get back to work. That table over there is dry.” She pointed to a group of men laughing and smoking cigars a few tables away. Sheng shrugged with a chuckle and approached the table. 

Kuvira sighed and laid her head against the booth, admiring the intricate ceiling while nursing her drink in her calloused palms. Once again, she found her thoughts lingering to the weapon holstered on that barbarian she dealt with earlier. _Why would anyone develop a weapon of that power?_ Kuvira indulged in another taste of her booze. She let her mind empty and focus on how she felt now, the feeling of peace and of belonging. It only took a few days for her to absolutely fall in love with this quaint little club in a town you wouldn’t find on a map, in a country that half despised her and half worshipped her. 

Kuvira set the empty bottle on the table and stood with a stretch. She groaned as her bones popped and set, the years of disuse suddenly very apparent to the ex-convict. With a deep exhale through her nose, she waved to Sheng and left the club. The moon was peaking over the horizon and the sun had fully set. The sky still had a purple hue from the daylight, but the moon had begun to cast its silver glow against the buildings and lingering pedestrians. She walked along the concrete path towards where she’d seen a noodle shop earlier in the day during her exploration of the city. 

She turned a corner towards the last stretch to the noodle shop when she smacked into someone very tall and bulky. He seemed unphased, as if a bug had flown into him, but Kuvira had nearly been knocked on her ass. She raised her head to apologize but the words died in her throat. It was the man from earlier, the one brandishing a gun on his hip and the painful grip. 

“Well. Fancy seeing you here. Looks like your papa bear ain’t here to save you either.” His hand was back on his hip, unholstering the weapon concealed upon it. Kuvira quickly looked around, hoping someone was watching so that the man would be less likely to try something, but unfortunately the street was empty. 

“Ya know, when you were all large and in charge, I knew from the get go you were just some power hungry broad. Living in one of the richest cities in the world not enough for you? I came from the streets, but you probably dunno what that’s like…” Kuvira rolled her eyes as he started to drone on about his troubled childhood. This fool had no idea what she had been through. Realizing that his monologue wasn’t going to ease up anytime soon, she quickly widened her stance and pulled her fists towards herself before pressing a heel into the earth. Before the thug could even get a word out, he was encased up to the neck in a thick layer of earth. 

“Listen up, you barbarous, boneheaded brute. I came from nothing, and I was treated like nothing. The path you are on is no better than mine was, and if you keep brandishing that weapon like you are looking for a challenge, you’re just going to get yourself hurt and land in a far worse place than me. Grow up.” She stepped around the trapped man and continued to the noodle shop. Once inside, Kuvira ordered a bowl of noodles to go (without difficulty, to her surprise) and returned to her room at the hotel. 

The noodles could’ve been terrible, but after eating nothing but rice and chicken in prison for 10 years, Kuvira wouldn’t have known any better anyway. So she greatly enjoyed them and the hotel’s complimentary Jasmine Tea. Part of her felt a bit guilty about leaving the thug from earlier encased in a pyramid of earth, but at the same time he was an asshole. She figured maybe it’d teach him a lesson. 

She finished her dinner and practiced her song for the next day a few times before turning in early for the night, painfully aware of the empty space to the side of her. 

Kuvira woke up late into the morning, and enjoyed the warmth of her bed until her stomach protested otherwise. She groaned quietly and reached towards the telephone on the bedside table, ringing for room service. 

“Room service, how may I help you?” A sickly sweet voice said through the phone. 

“Could I order a plate of dumplings and a steam bun to Room 12, please?” Kuvira withheld a yawn behind her hand. 

“Of course. It’ll be right up.” The sweetness was gone and the line went dead before Kuvira could even mumble out a tired ‘thank you’. The sleepy woman sighed and put the phone back on the receiver, figuring that the worker knew who she was, and what room she was in. She couldn’t blame the woman for her spite. Kuvira removed herself from the soft mattress and stretched her spine until it gave a satisfying pop. She examined herself in the mirror, her hair a mane of black and silver and her eyes a forbidden forest holding mysteries and secrets of a dangerous past. Her skin was deathly pale from 10 years of confinement in a cell, and her ribs contoured under the confines of her short, pastel green nightdress. No matter how hard she worked out in prison, she was not fed nutritious enough food to keep the fat or muscle she was used to. She planned to change that. She was tired of feeling a step too slow. 

A knock at the door broke her out of her body negativity trance. She opened the front door and accepted the tray gratefully and set it at the table by the window. She quickly brewed herself a cup of Ginseng Tea and sat on the cushioned chair with her bare legs crossed. The aroma from the dumplings was mouthwateringly enticing, but when she took a bite Kuvira immediately knew something was wrong. 

Dumplings should not taste like bitter almonds. 

And Kuvira knew exactly what did. She quickly spat out the food in her mouth onto her plate and quickly rinsed her mouth out with the tea she’d brewed. She went to the bathroom and repeatedly rinsed her mouth with water. Kuvira quickly decided this wasn’t good enough and forced herself to empty her stomach into the toilet, hoping that any of what she might’ve possibly ingested went with it. She breathed heavily as she leaned against the shower door. She ran her shaking hands through her hair and pulled her knees to her chest, her emotions a flurry of pain and despair. Quickly her feelings shifted to those of anger and she was out the door and at the front desk and she wasn’t even that sure how she got there. She grabbed the man at the front desk by his collar. 

“Manager. Now.” She growled. She released the trembling man’s shirt and he ran to a room behind him. Moments later, an older man came out in a nice suit and slicked back hair, his mustache twitching on his upper lip. 

“May I ask why you are assaulting my employees, Ms. Kuvira?” He practically spat out her name. 

“You want to explain to me why there was fucking arsenic in my food? This is not the first time someone has tried to poison me. You would have been better off just killing me in my damn sleep!” She couldn’t hide the venom in her voice. The pillars and tiles around her quaked as much as her body was. The manager’s face was pale with fear. 

“W-what? We didn’t poison you!” He stuttered out. Kuvira grabbed his collar and lifted him from the ground. 

“Then why don’t you come to my room and take a bite of my food. Or better yet, take your kitchen staff to my room and they can each take a bite.” The man was visibly trembling now, his hands clamped around Kuvira’s bare forearm. 

“Okay, okay! I-I believe you! Please just put me down!”She dropped him and he landed in a heap on the floor. 

“Get up and call the police. We’re going to have a little investigation.” 

“I promise you I had no idea that someone was trying to poison you,” he dialed for the police, “but we’ll figure out who. I may not like you, but that doesn’t mean I want to kill you.” He straightened his tie and explained the situation to the dispatcher on the other line. 

“Hey!” A female voice called from behind her. Kuvira turned towards the voice to see a woman quickly jogging up to her. 

“I’ve got two girls tied up in the kitchen for talking about poisoning Room 12’s food, we need to check on her now!” Kuvira grabbed the girl before she could run off again. 

“Hold on, its fine. Well it’s not fine but I’m Room 12 and I’m fine. I caught it before I even swallowed the shit. Thanks for tying them up. I appreciate that. I’m sure the police will as well.” The girl, who couldn’t have been older than 16, visibly relaxed and sat on the floor. 

“Thank the spirits.” She exhaled. The manager hung up when a police woman walked in. Kuvira was secretly thankful she was a woman. They tended to be a bit more compassionate. 

“So, something about an attempted poisoning?” The officer pulled out a notebook and wrote a few notes. 

“I ordered lunch and when I took a bite of my dumplings I tasted bitter almond. It’s not my first run in with the stuff, so I knew to spit it out and get it out of my system. Apparently this girl,” Kuvira pointed to the kitchen worker, “tied up the people who tried to poison me. The food is in my room, where I am returning to so I can pack my shit and leave.” Kuvira turned on her heel and walked back to what had been her living space for the past few days. Her dish of death still sat pristinely on the table. She pulled out a pair of trousers and sleeveless frog-clasp top before changing in the bathroom. She walked over to where the officer was examining the food and looked over her shoulder. 

“I’m not sure how I hadn’t noticed before I ate, honestly. It’s packed with it. Here, this should make things easier for you.” She waved her hand over the food and drew out all of the poison, about the size of Yuan coin. 

“Arsenic is a metallic compound, extremely difficult to bend.” She dropped the substance in an empty teacup and handed it to the officer. 

“Thanks. I don’t really need anything else from you, so I’ll just pick up the criminals downstairs, ask the manager a few questions and go. You can leave.” The officer acknowledged. Kuvira nodded and packed her things into her bag quickly and jogged to the only safe place she could think of. 

“Sheng!” She banged on the door of the club, “Sheng, please open up!” She almost punched the poor owner in the face when the door opened suddenly. She pushed her way into the club and locked the door behind her before sliding down onto the ground. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her stomach was churning like a swelling, angry sea. 

“Bucket.” She quickly pointed to the wash bucket a few feet away until the old man handed it to her and crouched beside her, holding her hair back as she emptied her stomach once again. 

“Spirits, Kid,” He rubbed soothing circles on her back, “what the hell happened to you?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and leaned against Sheng. 

“Someone at the hotel tried to poison me with Arsenic. I didn’t get much in me to begin with, and I got most out as fast as I could but there was just enough to make my stomach sick.” His hand on her back tensed for a moment and anger flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced with concern. Kuvira relaxed as he embraced her tightly to himself, cradling her shaking form. 

“You can stay here until you can get your own place. I have an extra room next to mine on the upper floor, so if you need me, I’ll be there.” He stood and helped her shakily get to her feet. Kuvira cleared her throat and pulled her bangs out of her face. 

“Thank you, Sheng. I feel like I’m saying that every hour. You are too kind to me.” Sheng laughed and picked up her bag and led her towards the back of the bar to a flight of stairs. 

“Sure, kid, whatever you say. Come on, let’s get you up to your room to rest. If you don’t feel up to singing tonight, I think arsenic poisoning is a good enough reason.” He said it lightheartedly, but he was also sincere. Kuvira shook her head as she took each stair step one at a time. 

“I’ll be alright after I rest for a while. I really want to sing tonight. I want to help you save this bar, since you’ve helped me so much.” Sheng pulled a key out of his pocket when they stopped in front of a red door. When he stuck the key in the lock, he struggled with it as the tumblers refused to turn. 

“It’s, uh, it’s been a while since I’ve used this room.” He chuckled sheepishly. Kuvira laughed and moved her hand in front of the door and metalbent the tumblers up and twisted the knob. He nodded in thanks and pushed it open to lead her to the bed. Kuvira observed the room acutely. It was decorated with girlish dolls and a vanity. Red and gold draped on almost every surface. The one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb made her laugh out loud. 

“Something funny?” Sheng asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“I’m- oh, spirits- I’m so sorry but the Nuktuk poster. I knew him, I just wasn’t expecting to see this.” She was almost crying she was laughing so hard. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. 

“Bolin, the boy in the poster, he was part of my army. He got out when he realized what I was doing was…well. Was terrible. He was the first person to visit me in prison, though. He could always cheer anything up. He’s got a daughter with a childhood friend of mine.” She reminisced with a small smile. She once again inspected the room, its femininity. A ruby necklace dangled on a metal tree on the vanity. She looked to Sheng, at his distant smile as his gaze shifted around the room. 

“Sheng…who’s room was this?” She treaded carefully. He sighed. 

“My granddaughter’s. She lost her parents when she was a baby. And before you try to get out of here, remember that I invited you. I’ve moved on. I haven’t forgotten but I’ve let go.” He said with an air of finality, gently tugging on his graying beard. Kuvira knew better than to prod further, and wrapped her arm around his broad, slumped shoulders. The old man placed his hand gently against hers before letting go and standing up to set her bag by the bed. 

“Get comfortable, make yourself at home, kid. If you feel up to it, be on at 7 alright?” He headed to the door. 

“Will do, old man.” She smirked. 

“Ouch. I’m not old!” He gasped and cried out exaggeratedly 

“If you’re going to call me kid, I’m going to call you old man.” She retorted. Sheng sent her a mock glare before smiling goofily. 

“Fair enough. Rest up!” He closed the door and she heard him creak down the stairs. Kuvira lay in the bed and noticed it was softer than the one at the hotel. She shut her eyes and drifted into a light slumber. 

When she awoke, the sun was still up. She took that as a relieving sign that she hadn’t accidently slept through her performance. She ran a quick diagnostic of her body, comforted by her lack of nausea or fatigue. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and checked the time on the bedside clock. _5pm. Plenty of time to get some food and prepare for tonight._ Before she could even stand up off the bed, there was a knock on the door. 

“Kuvira? I brought you some food. Figured you want something before you performed. If you’re up to it, that is.” Kuvira opened the door and gladly accepted the bowl of seaweed noodles. 

“Thanks. I should be good to perform after this.” He smiled and closed the door behind him as he left. Kuvira took her noodles and chopsticks to a small nook by the window and situated herself in it. She decided these noodles were infinitely better than the ones she’d picked up last night. She savored them slowly, mostly for the flavor and partially so she didn’t upset her stomach from eating too quickly. 

She finished her meal in about an hour and now had the dress she’d told herself she’d wear on her first day. She skimmed her fingertips gently against the silken fabric and metal plates. Next to the dress lay two bicep-length gloves she’d found in the bottom of her bag. Judging by the matching gradient, they seemed to go with this particular dress. 

The woman shimmied out of her trousers and top and stepped into the silky pool of fabric. She pulled two lengths of fabric up until the metal plates sat just below her collarbone, against her breasts. Kuvira tied the straps in a bow behind her neck and examined herself in the mirror. The dress made her practically unrecognizable. _Maybe that’s a good thing_. Kuvira pulled her hair up into a loose bun, her bangs still hung to the right side of her face. Lastly, she tugged the silken gloves up the length of her arms. 

She was ready. 

Kuvira stood behind the velvet red curtain, waiting for her cue. She was feeling so much at once; Fear, Excitement, Anxiety, Joy. Despite all of that, though, she knew she was ready. This was her first step into something new, something fresh. 

“I present to you tonight a new singer, a woman who has the voice of a spirit, a woman who has seen much hardship, caused much hardship and atoned for her hardship, the lovely Lei!” Kuvira took a deep breath, acknowledging her fake name as her cue, and stepped out from behind the curtain. She walked calmly to the front of the stage where the mic stood and wrapped her hand around the back, and with a deep breath, she nodded to the band. Gentle piano and drums echoed throughout the club. 

__For you I was a flame  
Love is a losing game  
Five story fire as you came  
Love is a losing game 

The crowd became silent at the melancholy of her raspy melody. 

__One I wish I never played  
Oh what a mess we made  
And now the final frame  
Love is a losing game 

Kuvira felt comfortable on the stage. Despite the pain and sadness inside her she was happy. She was doing something she loved, because she wanted to. 

And no one had to get hurt. 

__Played out by the band  
Love is a losing hand  
More than I could stand  
Love is a losing hand  
  
Self professed... profound  
Till the chips were down  
...know you're a gambling man  
Love is a losing hand 

She could feel a heat behind her eyes as she slowly glided across the stage, her eyes sweeping past men and women, looking for any sign of recognition. There wasn’t any. There was just a woman on stage, a woman with talent. That’s all they seemed to see. 

__Though I battle blind  
Love is a fate resigned  
Memories mar my mind  
Love is a fate resigned 

She couldn’t stop the tear that fell down her cheek. Her voice was mingled with emotion but never wavered. She stopped center stage and stared into the distance, 

__Over futile odds  
And laughed at by the gods  
And now the final frame  
Love is a losing game, 

And she faded off as the band eased into a decrescendo. There was a tense silence as she stared at Sheng with a straight face, but suddenly people were clapping and whistling and she was so overwhelmed and happy that she didn’t know what to do other than laugh and smile and bow generously before retiring back stage, a few band members giving her a pat on the arm or shoulder. 

Kuvira was giddy. She felt so young, like she hadn’t spent a third of her life in a cage. Kuvira looked down at her gloved hands, and she couldn’t see the blood that had soaked in a decade ago. She couldn’t see the dirt or scrapes from her years on the streets. She could only see a clean slate. She laughed happily. 

She felt alive. 

“Kuvira!” She looked up and saw Sheng running towards her with his arms wide open. She met him halfway and embraced him tightly. 

“Thank you so much, Sheng. I can never repay you for this.” Kuvira couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this sort of innocent joy. She felt young and vitalized and just _alive_. 

“Kid, that crowd is still cheering! I should be thanking you. You saved this club. Now go change, and come down for a celebratory drink, alright?” Sheng pulled back and patted her on the back, and just when she thought she couldn’t feel anymore overjoyed, Kuvira spotted the large, tearful grin the man was sporting as he rushed off back to the bar. With her own beaming smile, she quickly made her way upstairs to change into something inconspicuous. She threw on a pair of tight trousers, a tank-top and a pair of black boots, and then made her way back to her booth by the bar. 

“Here ya go, sweetheart. Apple Ale, crisp and cold. The club’s busy tonight, so we’ll talk more when calms a bit.” Sheng quickly brought her the drink and left. She metalbent the top off and took a long swig before relaxing into the booth with a content sigh. _A month of this kind of business could put Sheng on the map,_ she thought as her forest green eyes swept the room. 

Finally, she took another sip of her beer and gazed at the empty seat across from her. Despite all of the joy and self confidence she felt tonight, after all Kuvira had put her through, Kuvira couldn’t help but wish that…that _she_ was across from her. Laughing, drinking a glass of wine, tapping her feet to the jazz. She’d make up stories about the poor saps around them while cigarette smoke curled from her lips and she’d be loud and unapologetic and _powerful._ Kuvira chugged her ale and forcefully set the bottle down on the table. She stood abruptly and walked quickly back to her room. She flopped on the bed and buried her face in the pillow, taking a shaky breath. _I’ll sing every damn night if that’s what it takes to forget her._

Several months had passed, and just as Kuvira had predicted, Sheng’s Bar had been put on the map. Travelers would make a point to detour into the town for a drink and a show, and the few that could afford it would take a trip to the town solely for the mysterious Jazz singer known only as Lei. There had been more than a few patrons who had suspected that it was really the former ‘Great Uniter’ upon the stage, but most didn’t care and the ones that did were usually too intoxicated by other drink or song to make much more of it. Tonight was a special night for Kuvira; not only was she going to perform an original, but Korra, Asami, Bolin and Opal had all made a trek out to see her perform. She was a tight ball of nervousness and excitement and stress. 

She looked herself up and down in the mirror, the sleeveless green turtle-necked dress hugged her in all the right places, and a slit along her left leg gave it character. The neck was bordered with white and was held closed down to her breast with 2 frog fastens. Tight, black, bicep length gloves were like a second skin around her arms and her feet were encased by black flats, her ankle circled by white trim. Her metal vambrace had been shifted into a thin, spiraled armlet that rested on her left bicep, over her glove. Taking one last look at her flowing hair and make-up, she decided it was time to go downstairs and wait backstage. The jazz band’s bassist, a tall, scrawny, fire-nation man with an impressive mustache, was waiting for her with a glass of water. She accepted the drink gratefully. 

“Thank you, Nobu. Is the band ready?” She asked as she sipped at her water. 

“We sure are. You’re on in 5, little Canary.” He bowed his head with a polite smile before placing his trilby back on his head and heading back on stage. Quickly finishing off her glass, she moved the curtain slightly and looked at the crowd. Another full house, and to her delight, Korra and her ‘krew’ were sitting at a candlelit table nearest the front of the stage. With a deep breath, she centered herself. She knew that tonight she would be leaving the stage in tears, but for her first original performance, she needed something powerful. So she went with a song she wrote based on her mistakes. 

“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Sheng projects from the stage. The buzz of hearty shouts and whistles are heard strongly even backstage. In a split second decision, she walks out to Sheng. 

“Actually, if you don’t mind Sheng, I would like to make my own introduction tonight.” She asks confidently. 

“Of course, Lei. Couldn’t say no if I tried.” Kuvira chuckled along with the crowd and adjusted the microphone. 

“I would like to thank all of you for coming out tonight. The first night I came here, I saw a singer’s last show, and there were maybe 20 people. Currently, if I tried to count I think we’d be here ‘til sunrise. Tonight, I’m singing an original song. It was something I wrote a few years ago after hearing a man’s story about the attack on Republic City 10 years ago. So I present to you, White Grass. Thank you.” The lights in the club dimmed and a single spotlight fell on Kuvira. She motioned to the band, and awaited her cue. As the band introduced several string instruments, she took a breath. 

__“White Grass  
‘neath the stones  
That once…  
Was my home 

__Bleached bones,  
Nothing more,  
Of a wife,  
I adored. 

__The cradle I made,  
No more rocks  
My little babe. 

__The war is over.  
Seems we won.  
Who will reign?” 

Kuvira couldn’t help a tear that trailed down her cheek. She could see the sorrow on the faces in front of her. She could see the recognition. She could feel her guilt bubbling and churning beneath the surface like a pit of lava. 

__“White grass  
Once was green  
White stones  
Once housed a dream 

__Me and Mingxia,  
And little babe  
Had a future  
Young and brave, 

__But now  
The future years  
I’ve seen only  
Through my tears. 

__The war is over.  
Seems we won.  
Who will reign?” 

Kuvira’s voice wavered but she stayed resilient. She hoped that for the people who cared and the people who mattered, they would understand this apology; they would see the sincerity. 

__“White grass  
Leads to stones  
That once  
Was my home. 

__Oh why, Mingxia,  
Did you pray?  
Spirits shan’t save me  
For this day. 

__The cradle I made  
no more rocks  
my little babe. 

__The war is over.  
Seems we won.  
Who’ll reign?” 

With a shuddering breath and flowing tears, she choked out the last verse, 

__“The war is over.  
Seems we won.  
Who will reign?” 

And the club is apprehensively silent for a beat. All it took was for one person to clap to knock them out of their stupor before she saw people rising one-by-one in a standing ovation. The people were mesmerized and shocked; it was written plainly on their faces. She looked down where Korra and the others had been seated to find that they all four of them were still sitting in shocked, silent tears. With a small bow, Kuvira turned and began to walk backstage, her fingers lingering on the microphone. Behind the safety of the curtain, Kuvira’s walls crumbled and she held a gloved hand to her mouth in a desperate attempt to swallow her sobs. She sat on an empty chair in the corner and started to weep, tears leaving dark stains on her dress. Suddenly warm arms were around her and a scratchy white beard was by her head, whispers and murmurs of consolations in her ear. 

“Shhhh, it’s alright, sweetie. I got you.” Sheng assured her with a hand rubbing her back. 

“That was brave, and I’m so, so proud of you. You’re so strong, Kuvira.” The woman wrapped her arms around under his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, hiccupping as her sobs died down. 

“Kuvira…?” A familiar voice called out cautiously. The woman in question looked towards the voice and released Sheng. He patted her back and returned to the bar. 

“Opal…” She wiped her eyes, “I’m so glad you came.” She sniffled and coughed in attempt to clear her throat. Opal kneeled in front of Kuvira, her robes billowing around her. A dark, tattooed hand took Kuvira’s own. 

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I’m so glad I came, too…that was incredible, Kuvira. I’m proud of you.” Opal had tightly clasped Kuvira’s hand with both of hers. The singer stared into those brilliant green eyes, eyes that once bore so much hatred for her now glimmered in pride. 

“Thank you, Opal. I cannot express how much that means to me. I don’t deserve your kindness.” Kuvira stood, pulling the shorter woman along with her. “How about I change real quickly, and then join you guys for a drink?” 

Opal smiled softly and nodded before heading down back to her friends while Kuvira ran upstairs. She quickly changed into a tunic, trousers and boots. She quickly pulled her hair out of its bun and braided it back. Grabbing her coat, she headed downstairs to see her friends. As she approached the table, however, she hesitated. Asami’s face was buried in Korra’s shoulder, Korra’s head resting on top of her wife’s. Suyin’s smile came and left her mind’s eye faster than a blink. 

“Kuv! Come sit!” Bolin yelled and waved as if she wasn’t 10 feet away from the table. Korra and Asami looked towards the singer and smiled. Kuvira smiled back and joined them. Sheng brought her favorite ale and she introduced him to her friends, him being a little more than star struck meeting The Avatar, The youngest and most accomplished CEO in history, a Beifong, and a mover star. As the group laughed and talked and told stories of their lives of the months passed, Kuvira honestly felt like she was normal. She felt like she had friends…a social life. 

It was nice. 

Week by week passed peacefully in the town for Kuvira, until it had been 3 months since her friends had come to visit. She had gotten several generous paychecks from Sheng, and hopefully with the next one she’d be able to move out of the club into her own place. Kuvira was sleeping late into the morning, a long night of performing plus a few too many celebration drinks left her exhausted. Her face was buried in the pillow she clutched to her chest and a light snore filled the room. Sheng almost felt bad waking her up, but the town needed her. 

“Kuvira, wake up. We have a problem.” He shook her shoulder and brushed the hair out of her eyes. She awoke quickly, but dazed. 

“Huh…? Sheng what’s wrong?” As if answering her question, the sound of fighting broke outside. She jumped out of bed, still in shorts and a tank top, and looked out the window. She could see rocks and metal strips being thrown at the townspeople. 

“Metalbending bandits. A lot of Earth Empire soldiers that still believed in your…harsher views, have been stealing and terrorizing towns like ours for years.” He spoke softly, understanding that this might trouble his charge. 

“This is all my fault…I’m taking care of this. I need metal.” She walked away from the window and quickly dressed into her trousers and boots. 

“Take the waiter’s trays. They’re steel.” He said as he followed her downstairs. She took several and bent them into chest armor. She then bent several to her arms, similar to the strips she had as The Great Uniter. On her forearm rest the metal vambrace Asami gave her. As a reminder to remember who she was. To not go too far. She grasped the handle to the front door and took a deep breath. A calloused hand gently grasped her shoulder. 

“Hey. Watch your six, alright?” Sheng’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. She smiled and nodded before pushing the door open. 

The road was torn up and chunks of earth littered the sidewalk. 

“Let me go! Stop!” Kuvira looked towards the commotion, a young man was being pinned to a wall by a much, much larger man, who was rummaging the younger’s pockets. Kuvira sprinted into action and shot a strip of metal over the thug’s eyes. 

“Run!” she yelled as she tackled the brute to the ground. The kid quickly obliged. She was kicked off swiftly, only catching her footing with some earth bending help. She watched the brute bend the metal off his eyes, and realized she’s going to have to get creative. 

“Great Uniter?” the man stopped and dropped the strip of metal in confusion. _Or I can just hogtie him._ She shifted the dirt under his feet so that he fell face first into the ground. He panicked and shot the strip back at Kuvira, but she redirected it to his wrist along with 3 others to his other limbs before morphing them together behind his back. He struggled to get free but to no avail. 

“Not anymore.” With a quick stomp to the ground, she looked for the highest concentration of people. Finding that to be the east part of town, she took off towards the commotion. 

When she arrived, she stopped dead in her tracks. There will several people with metal imbedded in limbs, or tied down, unconscious and bleeding. That bubbling guilt she’d been feeling quickly boiled over into rage, and she saw red. Looking towards the few cops of the town trying to hold back a barrage of at least 30 bandits, she got into a loose stance. In quick succession, she threw metal strips onto the eyes of as many bandits as she could. The police quickly took advantage of the situation and started subduing as many of the bandits as they could. Still, they were overwhelmed. Kuvira charged past the police and started tripping up her former soldiers, their confusion aiding her greatly. 

“Our Great Uniter has betrayed us! Take her down!” Suddenly every one of the bandits eyes were on her, and for a split second, she thought maybe she was in over her head. She weaved between rocks and metal, dancing as gracefully as she did in her days in Zaofu. She overpowered many of them and sent their attacks back at them. As soon as she knocked one down, another got up. A rock knocked into her side and she gasped in pain, clutching her side. She ducked, despite the pain, and narrowly avoided a chunk of rock to the head. She rolled left and kicked a pillar into the attacker’s head. He dropped to the ground out cold. Kuvira, still in a crouch, pulled her arms into her side then slammed them into the ground, forcing several pillars into the thugs circling around her. With most of them knocked unconscious, she came to the conclusion that this might be the fastest way to defeat them. 

Kuvira swept her foot out and bent a chunk of earth into the ankles of 3 bandits, knocking them to the ground and binding their feet and wrists together with metal. She was breathing heavily at this point, and still had at least 15 bandits left. The sound of crumbling earth came from her left and recognized the officer as the one from her hotel incident so many months back. She was bleeding heavily from a gash over her eye. 

“I’ll watch yours if you watch mine.” She laughed. Kuvira nodded and stood to her back. Strips and wires of metal, and chunks of earth countered anything the bandits threw at the two women. Kuvira was becoming exasperated at the bandits, her former soldiers, determination. 

“Give me your wires.” She ordered more so than asked, then took before she could get an answer. She unhitched them from the officer, proceeding to bend and weave them around each of the remaining bandits before quickly crashing them all together. Most of them were knocked unconscious from the collision but enough were still awake to struggle against Kuvira’s hold. She began to sweat and shake. A pain was digging into her sides and she realized that one of the bandits was bending her armor tighter against her. 

“Hurry up and cuff them, damn it!” She shouted and groaned as it became harder to breathe. She was losing her concentration and the wire was starting to slacken. Before she lost her grip, the police strengthened the hold on the wire and began to cuff the bandits in platinum. Kuvira fell to the ground, trying to get control of the Chi suffocating her in her own armor, but the pain, fatigue and lack of breath was making it difficult. Suddenly, with the sound of skin against skin, the armor was released and Kuvira quickly bent it off. She looked up from the ground to see the same female officer shaking out her hand. 

“Thanks.” Kuvira coughed out. The officer held out a hand and helped her off the ground. 

“Don’t mention it.” The officer replied, wincing when she tried to wipe the sweat off her brow and hit the gash instead. 

“Here, sit. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Kuvira tore a strip off the bottom of her sweatshirt as the officer pulled a chunk of earth up to sit on. Kuvira began to wipe the blood off of the woman’s face. 

“What’s your name?” She asked to occupy the woman’s thoughts. 

“Lin. Like the Beifong. She saved my mum when she was pregnant with me. The cop thing is a coincidence, though.” Kuvira laughed lightly. She’d have to tell the Chief next time she saw her. 

“Lin is a wonderful person, even if a little brisque. She’d probably be proud that you take her namesake. You’re quite the bender. How old are you?” The woman winced as Kuvira cleaned closer to the wound. She dropped the soiled fabric and tore off another strip. 

“I’m 19. Pretty fresh out of the academy. This was the first big thing I’ve done.” She replied. Kuvira paused her work and looked at the officer. 

“You’re only 19? You’re an incredible bender for your age.” She cleaned up the last few spots of blood and pressed the strip to the gash itself. The girl sucked air in between her teeth. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine. And thanks, that means a lot coming from you. You’re a master. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Kuvira took the officers hand and pressed it to her forehead to hold the fabric in place. 

“You should’ve seen me in my prime. Go get stitched up.” She bent the earth beneath girl to make her stand before sinking it back into the ground. Kuvira looked down at herself to assess the damage. Several shallow cuts littered her arms and tore through her trousers, and bruises of every shape and size littered her body. 

“Miss?” Kuvira looked up at a man in his 40’s, bald with a handlebar mustache. She recognized the markings of his uniform as a sheriff’s. 

“Yes, Sheriff? What can I help you with?” She inquired as she bent her armor back on. 

“Man, it’s really you isn’t it? No judgment, I agreed with a lot of your policies, I’m just a little honored that I got to fight along Kuvira today. They say your bending could rival even Toph Beifong’s.” The Sheriff had a childish, starry look in his eyes. Kuvira sighed and popped her neck. 

“Maybe 10 years ago, but rotting in a jail cell doesn’t do any good to your health and skill. There was a time when even the Avatar struggled to land a shot on me. Now look at me.” She held her bloodied, bruised arms out. The sheriff furrowed his brow. 

“Sorry, if I offended you. Thank you for helping us take care of these guys. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.” He bowed deeply in thanks. Kuvira bowed back. 

“No offense taken, Sheriff. If anything like this arises again, I’d be honored to help,” She stood with him, “also there’s a guy a couple alley’s that way that I hogtied.” The Sheriff let out a hearty laugh and turned back to his men. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she could feel the aches and pains from current and old wounds flaring up. 

“Get your hands off of me, you fucking scum!” Kuvira turned her eyes to a bandit desperately resisting arrest. He made eye contact with her and growled in anger. 

“This is your fault you bitch! You gave us hope for a united country and you failed us! You deserve to rot, you fucking traitor! This isn’t over! This isn’t-” a strip of metal muffled his yelling. 

“God, shut up. Please.” Lin said as she cradled her now bandage head. Kuvira turned back towards the club and started walking slowly, making an attempt to fix up the roads as she went. By the time she returned to the club she was exhausted and in pain. She pushed open the door and flopped into her favorite booth. Sheng had yet to notice her, as he was deep in thought pacing on the other side of the club. 

“Sheng.” She called, resting her head on the back of the seat. After a beat of no response she sighed. 

“Sheng!” She yelled, turning her head in his direction. The elderly man jumped and quickly jogged over. 

“Sorry, kid. I didn’t even hear you come in. You look like shit.” He grabbed a rag and filled it with ice, as well as a glass of water. 

“Here.” He handed her the makeshift ice pack and set the glass on the table. Kuvira sat forward and bent the metal off her body, save for Asami’s brace, before applying the icepack to her ribs. She could feel the ache in her bones from her injuries in the colossus. It made the rest of her injuries feel superficial. 

“Just what I needed. Thanks Sheng.” She took a long drink of her water. 

“So…were they all taken care of?” He asks in a worried tone. She nods and rolls a stiff shoulder. 

“There might have been a few stragglers, but nothing to worry about. I’m glad I don’t have a performance tonight. I don’t think I’m going to be of much use for the rest of the day.” She took another sip and rubbed a tender bruise on her bicep. 

“Take as much time as you need. You probably saved the whole town today. I’m proud of you, kid.” She smiled and nodded. The longer she sat there and nursed her drink, the more she decided she wasn’t going to be able to make it up the stairs on her own. She polished off the rest of her water and stood slowly, clutching her ribs with the ice pack. 

“Sheng, I need your help getting upstairs.” Sheng was by her side in an instant, wrapping her free arm over his shoulders. 

“I didn’t think you were injured that badly. Do I need to call a healer?” He slowly took her up the stairs step by step, moving only when she was ready. 

“No, it’ll pass. It’s just some residual injuries from my battle in Republic City. It’s a good reminder of who I am.” Once they’d finally reached her room, she laid on the bed and took a deep breath. Sheng left for a few minutes only to return with a bowl of water and some rags. He started to clean her cuts, and she could feel sleep trying to claim her. 

At some point it must have succeeded, because when she woke the sun hung low in the sky and her body felt well rested but also even sorer then before. She groaned as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She noticed a note on the side table, along with a glass of water and some pills. 

_Take these painkillers for your ribs. I cleaned up your cuts best I could and left you some bandages. Make sure to take a hot shower when you wake up. It’ll help with the pain and what not._

_-“Old Man”_

Kuvira chuckled at the signature and took the pills before hobbling to the bathroom. Once she’d shut herself inside, she metalbent the knobs to get the hot water flowing and proceeded to strip. She peeled off her torn tank top and dropped it in the trash, followed by her ripped up pants. She gingerely removed her bra and shorts and stood in front of the mirror. The scarred skin on her ribs was already turning a deep purple, and she was sure she had more bruised flesh than not. With a long sigh, she stepped into the scalding shower and rinsed away the blood, sweat and grime while humming her next performance’s song. When she’d finished, her body spotless and the pain subsided, she wandered back into her room to change into a fresher change of clothes. She dropped her towel and stepped into a clean pair of underwear and clasped on her bra. She began to pull on her trousers when- 

“Hey Kiddo, just wanted to bring yo- Oh! Oh shit! I am so sorry!” Sheng burst into her room and quickly ran out. Kuvira was covering herself in embarrassment and her face was glowing red. 

“I’m moving out!” 

  


That same weekend, after getting her paycheck, Kuvira moved into an apartment a block away from the club. She ended up sleeping on the floor the first night, but bought some furniture from a second-hand store the next day. As a couple months passed, she slowly collected more things to make the apartment feel more like a home. A radio, a collection of books, and a record player with a good amount of records were her more prized possessions. One of her favorite things to do in the evening was to curl up on the couch with a book and a bottle of her favorite ale, while an instrumental jazz record plays in the background. Which is exactly what she was doing at that moment of peace. Unfortunately that peace was quickly shattered by a loud crack that made the poor woman jump out of her skin. At first Kuvira thought it was a firework, but it definitely came from behind her building, and she didn’t see it go off. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard yelling coming from the alleyway below her patio. She jogged outside and looked over the railing. 

“C’mere you mangy fuggin’ mutt!” Slurred the man. He brandished a metal weapon in his hand that Kuvira had come to recognize as a gun. She threw on her coat, quickly and quietly dropping down from the second story patio behind the man. He was far too inebriated to even become slightly aware of her presence. 

“You stupid fucking cur…I tried to pet you…and you fucking bit me. You deserve to be put down…” She could her the click of the hammer and attempted to bend the weapon from him. _Son of a Bitch…platinum._ She ducked to the ground as the crack of the gun shook her to the very bone. That’s when she heard the whimpering of an animal. _What kind of sick bastard harms an innocent animal._ She jumped up and encased the man in a pyramid of earth. 

“What the fuck?! Who’s there?!” He yelled. Kuvira stood and walked towards the sound of the whimpering. A young deer dog was lying in a pool of its own blood and panting anxiously. 

“Shhh. Hold still, little one. I’m going to get you some help.” She wrapped the deer dog pup in her coat and picked it up. She could feel her heart break as the pup yelped and cried. She began to jog to the police station without bouncing the deer dog as much as she could. She bent the door of the station open and set the pup on the floor. 

“I need a healer!” She shouted as she kept pressure on the wound. A healer quickly made themselves next to Kuvira and dropped to her knees. 

“Help him. Please. Some drunk shot him with a gun.” Kuvira was covered in the animal’s blood, and was starting to shake. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she felt like a piece of her was breaking as the creature struggled to breathe. 

“I need to get the bullet out before I start healing. Pull it out slowly and straight and I’ll start.” The healer had both her hands ready in a layer of glowing water. Kuvira waited for an officer (Lin, she realized) to put an oxygen mask around the his muzzle, then pulled the bullet out of its side. The healer immediately went to healing the wound. The entire department had apparently decided to join as several officers of rank and division were circled around the pup, the healer and herself. Lin had a reassuring arm on her shoulder. The healer was sweating in concentration, but what from what Kuvira could see, she was doing an amazing job of fixing up the wound. The bleeding had stopped, and she could see the animal’s breathing evening out. As the last of the superficial part of the wound stitched itself back together Kuvira smiled in absolutely glee. Lin took the oxygen mask off the deer dog and it hopped up and shook off. The station broke out in hearty cheers and applause, a lot of them patting the healer on the back. The pup ran up to Kuvira and started licking her face. She laughed and took the pup into her arms and pet between and behind its antler nubs. 

“You know, that pup likes you an awful lot. I don’t see a collar. I think you should take care of it.” Lin nudged Kuvira in the side repeatedly until Kuvira nudged her back. The rest of the station went back to work. 

“Only if you come get the fool I left in a pyramid of earth.” She shot back jokingly. Lin shrugged and walked her friend and new charge out the door. 

“I’m taking care of the jerk who did this, be back in bit!” She called out to her sergeant. This was by far one of the most lax police stations Kuvira had ever seen, as the sergeant simply waved her off while he worked on reports. Lin shrugged her trench coat onto Kuvira, and the singer wrapped it around herself and the pup, his head and antler nubs sticking out the top. 

“Thanks. It’s pretty cold out tonight.” She said as she pet the pups head again. 

“Don’t mention it. You’re covered in blood too, so there’s that.” Lin chuckles. Kuvira laughs along and shrugs. They walk together in silence until they reach the alleyway, where the drunk has since passed out in his upright tomb. Lin sighed and dropped the walls, causing them man to crash to the ground. The officer retrieved the gun, handcuffed him then smacked him awake. 

“Let’s go big guy. Animal cruelty is a felony.” The drunk groaned and got to his feet. 

“Thanks, Lin. Oh! Here.” She set down the pup for a second and removed the coat and tossed it to the cop. 

“No problem. Take care of that pup. Find it a good name.” Kuvira nodded and picked the pup back up and bent a pillar up to her patio, jumped the railing and bent the earth back down. The pup followed her inside as she reset her record player and walked to the kitchen. 

“Would you like some food, little one?” At the word ‘food’ the pup’s tale started wagging uncontrollably and he began hopping from paw to paw. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She laughed as she observed the animal’s soft eyes. He had two black patches over his eyes that looked like thick eyebrows and Kuvira found a good name for him. 

“I think I’ll name you Bo. How does some roast duck sound?” 

It had been almost a year since Kuvira’s release from prison; almost a year since she started singing for Sheng; and about two months since she’d adopted Bo. Sheng and Her had trained the young pup to stay behind the bar during working hours, and he spent most of the time eating or sleeping. Kuvira walked to the club to grab a drink, Bo staying obediently by her side, but as she approached the sign, she found the doors locked the sign set to ‘closed’. 

“What in the world...?” Kuvira used her seismic sense to see if Sheng was even in the club. He was on the second floor, in her old room…holding something. She metal bent the lock and let herself and Bo in, locking he door behind her. 

“Sheng?” She called for the man. She knew that his hearing wasn’t the best though and climbed the stairs. Bo stopped at the foot of them like he was taught, but she motioned to him that it was okay to follow. 

“Just this once, Bo.” She said softly to the pup. When she reached the top of the stairs, she knocked gently on the door to her previous room before Bo could nudge it open. Her heart throbbed painfully at the sight in front of her. Sheng was sitting on the bed, clutching a photo to his chest and sobbing softly. 

“Oh, Sheng…” She gently took the photo of his passed family from his fingers and hugged him close. Bo set his head in the old man’s lap and whimpered softly. Sheng wrapped his arms around Kuvira and cried into her shoulder. 

“What did I do to deserve this…” He cried quietly as he shook. She couldn’t subdue her own tears at the sorrow of the man in front of her. 

“Nothing, Sheng. The universe is cruel, and selfish. It takes what it wants and damns the consequences. That’s why we have to move forward,” she pulled back from the man and wiped the tears from his age worn face, “we have to prove to the universe that no matter what it takes, we’re stronger than it. That even if we have nothing left, we can find happiness. I think that defines strength.” She smiled as he wiped her tears away, too. Bo whined from his spot nestled on Sheng’s lap. The old man laughed and rubbed the deer dogs head. 

“Why don’t I pack us some food and what not, then I take you two to meet my family? We can have a little…family outing.” He smiled as he stood, pulling Kuvira with him. Bo started to prance in place at the mention of food. 

“I’d be honored. Bo, downstairs.” The pup obliged happily and ran down the steps, Kuvira and Sheng trailing slowly behind. Sheng packed a basket of sliced meats, crackers and cheeses, as well as a bottle of champagne and a bottle of water and bowl for Bo. They walked a short trek to the town’s graveyard, a small plot of land with an abundance of beautiful trees and the greenest grass Kuvira had ever seen. They settled by a single headstone, reading _“Here Lies Hua and her daughter Lien”_ and each of their birth and death dates. Sheng tossed Bo a bone he’d hid in the basket, which the pop began to chew upon greedily and handed Kuvira a glass of champagne. 

“Hua was my daughter. I lost my wife when she was born. Apparently birth complications were genetic, because I lost Hua when she had Lien. The deadbeat of a dad was long gone before Hua even know she was pregnant. She was so relaxed about it though. I remember her going, “Old man, relax. I’d rather of him skipped out then treated the baby like crap” and I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s probably for the best.’” He swished the champagne in his glass and took a sip. Kuvira was listening closely to the man’s tale. 

“Lien was the light of my life. She was always so full of joy. Spirits, she was beautiful. She passed…8 years ago, now? She’d be 24 now. It feels like it was so much longer than that. She was a very talented firebender, took after her sperm donor in that way, and you could just tell by looking at her. She just had this regal, powerful look about her. Like if she needed to, she could crush you under her shoe. She wasn’t like that at all of course. She was always so kind. She’d always take the leftover food from the bar and give it out to the homeless people around town, heat it up for them herself and everything…” Kuvira stared on in silence, hoping that the compassion she was trying to convey was showing like she wanted it too. Sheng took a long gulp of his drink and set the flute of champagne on the lid of the basket. 

“I was driving her home from a friend’s across town, when a man ran a red and T-boned us in an intersection. I didn’t have the money for a Satomobile, so I bought a cheap, old Cabbage Car. The thing crumpled in places it wasn’t supposed to, and stayed ridged in places it was. Lien died on impact, and I was in the hospital for weeks with a crippled leg. I used to blame myself, thinking there was something else I could’ve done. After a few years of wallowing in self pity, though, I pulled myself out of it and realized there was nothing I could’ve done. So I try to live the life Lien would have wanted. I feed the needy, I keep my bar at affordable prices, and I take in ex-tyrannical dictators and help them get a start on life.” Kuvira laughed with him and took a drink of her champagne. 

“I’m sure she’d be very proud of you. I also think she wouldn’t want you to mourn her for years and years. Celebrate her life.” She held up her glass, “To Hua and Lien. May their lives be celebrated and may they rest in peace.” Sheng gave a small cheer, tapped his glass to Kuvira’s and downed the contents of their flutes. A few beats of silence passed, the only sound being the wind in the trees and Bo munching on his bone. 

“I know it probably doesn’t have to be said, but you’re a daughter to me. You’re the closest thing to family I’ve got left. I’d give my life for you.” He spoke softly, his gravelly voice full of emotion. Kuvira leaned into his shoulder and grinned through tears. 

“You have no idea how much that means to me, Old Man.” He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close, kissing the crown of her head. 

_“_ __Now if you had prepared twenty years ago  
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' from door to door  
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?  
Get out of here and get me some money too 

__Get out of here and get me some money too  
Why don't you do right?  
Like some other men do?” 

Kuvira sustained the last note as the band went out in a crescendo. She bowed deeply to her cheering fans and smiled in genuine thanks to the people in the crowd. She escaped backstage and ran up to her room to change into a waiter outfit and scrub off her make-up and change her hair. Once she felt confident in the outfit, she jogged downstairs and went behind the bar. 

“Busy night, huh? We should teach Bo to collect tips.” She said to Sheng as she leaned over to scratch behind Bo’s ears. 

“Incredibly so, yeah. Also, speaking of Bo, your friend and his Beifong wife is down at booth 4.” She shot up from behind the bar. 

“What?!” She stood on her tiptoes to see into Booth 4 and sure enough, there was Opal and Bolin. 

“Go visit. I’ve got things held down here for a bit. And take Bo! I keep tripping over him. He’s getting huge.” She laughed as she was shoved out from behind the bar. She whistled for Bo and he followed happily as his human walked to her friend’s booth. 

“I have to say I wasn’t expecting a visit.” She stated simply as she leaned against the table with a free hand on her hip. 

“That’s the point of a surprise visit.” Opal smiled and hugged Kuvira. Bolin stood and engulfed Kuvira in one of his famous bear-hugs, which his deer dog counterpart didn’t appreciate as he growled angrily. Bolin quickly dropped his friend and sat back down. 

“Easy, Bo. He’s a friend.” Kuvira stated as she calmed her animal friend down. 

“I figured as much, considering you pulled him from behind the bar. What’s his name?” Bolin asked. 

“He’s Bo. I call you Bolin.” She laughed. 

“Oh my spirits…did you name your deer dog after me?!” Bolin asked excitedly. Opal started laughing as she pet the animal behind the ears. 

“Yes. It was the eyes and the eyebrows, not to mention how excited he gets when I mention the common word for sustenance.” Bolin’s eyes lit up at the mere thought of food, and Opal laughed harder. 

“I can’t believe you got a pet. I can’t believe you named it after my husband.” Opal chuckled and took a deep breath. Bolin became occupied with his animal counterpart, leaving Opal to talk to Kuvira. 

“We’re here for another reason, as well.” She said softly. “We’re thinking about moving here. Not just because you’re here, but when Korra, Asami and us came last time, I kind of fell in love with this town. It just seems so relaxed and homey. Bolin and I are just so tired of the hustle and bustle of Republic City, and he’s just having such a hard time holding a job. The economy over there has been such a mess the past few years.” Kuvira was overcome with joy at the thought of them coming to live in her town. 

“I can probably get Bolin a job here. I bet he’d make an incredible bartender. We’ve needed the help as of late. ” Bolin looked up hopeful from his antics with Bo. She looked up to see Sheng balancing several trays of booze on his arms and stood quickly. 

“Oh god. Think it over, I’ve gotta get back to work for before the Old Man kills himself. Bo, stay.” 

“Yes, Ma’am!” Bolin saluted. “Oh wait the dog. Right.” He lowered his arm and made Bo do a doggy salute. Opal chuckled and kissed her husband on the cheek. 

  


“Wei, dear, can you come in here real quick?”Suyin called out to one of her youngest sons. Wei popped his head into her study. 

“What can I do for ya, mum?” He asked. 

“I’m going to Republic City this weekend to see Lin for her retirement ceremony. Can you and your father and brother look after things while I’m gone?” She requested. 

“Yeah, of course. You should stop in at Huaxi Village down in Hu Xin, since Opal and Bolin just finished unpacking there. Plus I’m sure you’re grandson would like to see you.” Wei pitched in. 

“Yeah, I suppose I should. I’ll leave in the morning to spend some extra time with them.” 

“Mum! What are you doing here?” Opal practically jumped out of her skin to see her mother at her front door. 

“I wanted to see my baby girl. And my baby’s boy. Where’s San?” She pushed her way past the front door to find her only grandchild. 

“Gramma!” The young boy yelled before tackling her legs. 

“There he is! My, you’ve grown.” She huffed as she picked the heavy child up. 

“I’m an earthbender, what’d ya espect?” He said while flexing. 

“You’ve spent far too much time with Auntie Korra.” She laughed as she sat the boy back down to his feet. “Where’s Bolin?” 

“He’s at work. Actually, he should’ve just gotten off so he should be home any minute. Would you like some tea, mum?” Opal asked. 

“Sure, dear. You can tell me about how life’s been to you.” 

  


“Bye Kuv! Bye Sheng!” Bolin called as he left the bar with a wave. 

“Be safe, Bolin.” Sheng said as they both waved back. Kuvira yawned and sat at a booth, Bo lying across it with his head in her lap. 

“Why don’t you two take a nap before your show? Me and the fresh meat here can take care of things until after show-time.” He shoved his finger towards their recently hired waiter, Han. He was a man of few words, but he worked efficiently. 

“Yeah, why not? Come wake me in an hour. Bo, come.” She stood with her animal companion and trudged up the stairs. She curled up on Lien’s bed with Bo pressed to her side. Slept took her quickly. 

“So tell me, Han. What brings you to our humble town?” Sheng asked as he cleaned a class. 

“I’d rather not say.” Was all the silent man said, as he buffed a table. Sheng eyed him wearily. 

“Well, alrighty then. That’s fine too.” He shrugged as he moved on to the next glass. 

  


“The club is incredible! Sheng is such a sweet guy. He’s lost a lot of people in his life so he kinda like, treats the people around him as his family. Especially Ku-, uh, Lei. She’s the club’s singer. One of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard. It’s like she sings with her feelings, and then her voice.” Bolin gushed to his mother-in-law. She swore that you wouldn’t know if that boy had aged at all if it weren’t for the lines on his face or the facial hair. 

“It seems like a stunning establishment, Bolin.” Su smiled at the boy nonetheless. 

“You should go tonight, Mum. There’s a show at 9pm. If you leave now you’ll still catch a decent seat.” Opal suggested with a peculiar gleam in her eye. 

“Uh, Opal…? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean…,” Bolin was looking sweaty, “It can get kinda loud…and uh, crowded?” 

“Bolin, mum used to dance in front of thousands of people. I think she can take a little ‘loud and crowded’. Don’t worry about it.” She patted his leg rather hard. 

“Oh. Oh! Ok. Yeah, you should totally go! We kinda promised to stay home with San tonight, but Sheng won’t let you feel alone. He’s really a great guy. Like a grandpa figure.” Suyin could recognize his rambling now. She really hoped they weren’t trying to set her up with this Sheng fellow. 

“Fine, fine. I’ll go. I’d been hearing a lot about this club even in Zaofu anyway. Might as well take advantage while I’m here.” Su stood and grabbed her coat off the coat-rack. 

“Gramma are you leaving already?” San asked with a pout. 

“Just for tonight, bud. I’ll be back in the morning, then we can all get breakfast together.” She kissed him on the head then hugged her daughter and son-in-law. After Bolin gave her directions, she left with a wave. 

“Did we just make horrible mistake?” Bolin asked quietly. 

“Probably.” 

  


Suyin stood outside ‘Sheng’s Club’ in a stupor. From the outside, it looked like an absolute dump. The paint was chipping, the lights in the sign flickered, and the ground was littered in cigarette butts and papers. _Leave it to Bolin to talk up a dive bar like it’s some sort of world renowned restaurant._ She took a deep breath and pulled open the door. 

And all of her breath flew out the window with any previous bad thought she had. She was mesmerized by the mixture of gold and red, the live jazz playing on the stage, the liveliness of the entire bar. She sat in a booth towards the back, close to the bar and made for parties of 1 or 2. 

“I’ve gotta say, my little club her must be getting some good reviews all over the place if the Matriarch of Zaofu is gracing me with her presence.” A man she quickly recognized from Bolin’s description as Sheng. He was quite older than she was expecting. 

“My son-in-law is your bartender. He and my daughter were very adamant that I come here to see your singer.” She said with a hint of suspicion. 

“Hey don’t look at me, Lady. I haven’t got the slightest clue why. She goes on in ten. What can I get for you meanwhile?” He stood straighter with his hands on his hips. 

“Surprise me.” She shrugged. Sheng laughed and shook his head. He went back to the bar and grabbed an apple ale, then came back and set it on the table. She looked at it with an eyebrow up. 

“You got a bottle opener, Sheng?” She asked. 

“Whoops, sorry. I’m used to Lei just metalbending the tops off.” He popped the cap off on the edge of the table then handed it to her. 

“Oh. Somehow I’d never even thought of that. You’re singer is a metalbender?” She asked then took a sip. “Oh, this is good.” 

“Yep. One of the best I’ve ever met. She helps the cops when bandits try to cause trouble. Glad you like it. Drinks are on me.” He smiled then went back to the bar. The lights dimmed and Su continued to nurse her drink, not paying much attention to the stage. 

  


Kuvira stood behind stage, fixing her gloves and adjusting her favorite dress; the one with the gradient and deep ‘V’, with metal pieces lying across her breast bone. With a smile and deep breath, she peaked from behind the curtain to take a look at her audience for the night. Scanning the crowd, she was relieved to see it was a lighter night. She gasped in horror however, when she spotted Suyin Beifong sitting in her booth, swigging from a bottle. She backed away from the curtain and covered her mouth with a gloved hand. _What is she doing here?! What do I do?!_ The lights dimmed, signaling her 1 minute mark. _What do I do…?_ She removed her hand and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she opened them and decided to do what she’d always done. 

Sing from the heart. 

She walked onto stage with confidence and grace, as she always did. 

She grasped the microphone gently, as she always did. 

And she spoke her introduction, as she always did. 

“This song is dedicated to a woman I loved. A woman I hurt. I promised myself that if I ever saw her again…I’d sing it. 

  


Suyin had only half listened to the introduction. She hadn’t really bothered to even look up. It started softly with a skilled, guitarist…then _she_ sang. 

__“Inside a Silent Tear,  
I have a silent dream.  
That sometimes sails across  
The patterns of my mind.” 

Suyin’s head shot straight up, but she feared to look towards the stage where the song of sorrow serenaded her deepest tragedies. 

__“For silence follows me,  
And dreams just disappear.  
And then I find myself  
Inside a Silent Tear.” 

She couldn’t resist anymore. She turned her head slowly, and met those green eyes she remembered from so long ago; Eyes that were now spilling hot tears. 

__“Sometimes, I laugh too much.  
Too hide the emptiness.  
Too lose the lonlieness.  
I’m not the laughing kind. 

__I can’t say anything  
I really want to say.  
Sometimes I try so hard  
I stumble on the way.” 

Su was holding back sobs when she noticed a commotion by the bar. 

_I’m always finding love,  
when it’s not meant to-” _

“FOR THE EARTH EMPIRE!” 

“NO!” 

Two thunderous cracks caused the audience to scream and shout in panic as they dropped to a crouch and ran for the door. Su hadn’t realized what she’d don’t until she’d noticed the shooter had a strip of metal imbedded in his neck, lying in a pool of his blood. Next to him lay Sheng, his hand pressed to his own side. She quickly turned to the stage to see Kuvira laid upon it, the guitarist from the band holding pressure on her wound. 

Kuvira could barely register what had happened by the time Nobu was by her side. She doesn’t remember hitting the ground. All she could thing about was the searing, burning unbearable pain in the upper right side of her chest. She felt something soft nuzzle her hand, and looked down to see Bo crying loudly as he licked her arm. 

“Stay still, little Canary. Spirits, there’s so much blood…I need to find you a healer. Lady! Come keep pressure on this!” She felt hands switch on her chest and looked at the face hovering above her. 

“Su…” she tried to choke out more words, just 3 measly words, but it was hard to form them. Like she had cotton stuck in her throat. 

“Don’t talk. Just focus on breathing. Breathe with me.” Hot tears were running down Su’s face, dripping to mingle with Kuvira’s own. Bo’s highpitched crying had become nonstop, and he was fully lying on Kuvira’s arm against her side. 

“Shhh, It’s ok little guy. She’ll be ok. She’s gonna be ok.” Su sobbed as she kept more pressure on the wound. Nobu returned with a healer and slid next to Kuvira on his knees. The healer knelt by Su and bent water around her hands. Kuvira had started to wheeze. 

“We need to stabilize her fast, her lungs already collapsed, and then we’re going to take her to the healing pool at the station.”The healer took a quick look at Suyin, “I need you to pull the bullet out as straight as you can.” Suyin did as told, and the healer immediately went to work. Su tried not to flinch when Kuvira let out a yelp of pain. 

“Sh-sheng…” She choked out. Her vision was fading in and out. 

“Another healer is taking care of him, don’t talk.” The healer said. Kuvira’s eyes started to slip close. Su grabbed her free hand. 

“Kuvira, no! Stay with me! Look at me. Look at me, please.” Kuvira opened her eyes, just enough to look into Su’s. 

“I love you. Please don’t leave me again…Kuvira? Kuvira!” 

  


Kuvira was painfully blinded by white light. She felt out of touch with her own body, similar to when she and Korra were blasted into the spirit portal. Only one question stood at the forefront of her mind. 

“Am I dead for real this time?” A familiar chuckle answered her and suddenly the world was coming back into focus. Bright, white walls, the beep of the heart monitor, and the smell of sanitizer soaked into every surface. She was in a hospital. She was hooked up to an oxygen tank. A dark complexion and emerald eyes came into focus on her left. 

“Nope. It takes more than falling from ungodly heights, being blown into the spirit world and being shot in the chest to take you down.” Suyin joked, but her face sobered. 

“How do you feel?” 

“Frankly? Like I was shot in the chest. There’s no words to describe that sort of pain. How long have I been out? Sheng’s okay, right?” She sat up a bit, with the help of Su. 

“It’s been 4 days and I just can’t imagine…the sound alone was nothing like I’d ever heard before. Like thunder in the palm of your hands. Sheng is fine, by the way. He’s a tough old bastard. The doctor said your lung she’d be good as new after a week of healing sessions.” Su was interrupted by Bo crawling his way up Kuvira’s torso, stopping at her stomach. 

“Su, this is Bo. I saved him from a trigger happy drunk. Bo, this is Su;” She trailed her eyes to the older women’s lips, “The love of my life…” Bo growled. “…after you, of course.” Su’s lip trembled and she began to weep as she clutched Kuvira’s hand between her own. 

“I missed you so much…and then when I heard you singing it was like I was seeing you again for the first time. I almost lost you for good. I really thought I was going to lose you.” Su pressed her lips to Kuvira’s hand. Kuvira saw a radio in the corner of the room and used her metalbending to switch it on. That same brassy song was playing from all those years ago. She quietly took of her oxygen mask. 

“Su…” she called softly. Suyin looked up from her lover’s hand. 

“Do you like this song?” Su smiled, and leaned towards Kuvira. 

“Yeah. It’s catchy.” She answered. Kuvira closed the centimeters between their lips, relishing in the familiar way they molded together. The injured woman reached up to thread her fingers into the other’s hair. As Suyin attempted to deepen the kiss, Kuvira’s heart monitor spiked, causing both women to break away into a fit of giggles. Su replaced the younger woman’s oxygen mask and kissed her forehead. Bo let out a huff. 

“Yes, yes. One for you, too, Bo.” Su leaned down and kissed him on the top of his head. 


End file.
